《Naruto Hikikaeru》


 1 Chapter 1: New Beginnings

    Naruto watched the sky as it rained down on him. He and Sasuke had just fought, and they came out dead even. It was kind of ironic he thought. He''d spent so much time chasing Sasuke, and when it finally came down to it, he couldn''t save his friend. He coughed out some blood and when he glanced down, he could make out that his right arm was severed.


    He was losing blood, and he knew that he didn''t have long to live. He glanced over at Sasuke, his left arm was gone and he was just barely hanging on as well. Looks like he was right, if they fought, they would both die. Though in the end, he wished it hadn''t come to this.


    "Oi, Naruto, don''t go dying on me now." a deep growl came from within his mind.


    "Sorry Kurama, but I don''t have much of a choice right now." He apologized.


    "Hmph, figures, just when I was starting to not mind being around you, you have to go and die." Kurama fumed.


    "Haha, my bad Kurama, but hey, you know what, if we get a chance to meet in the afterlife, let''s be friends. Okay?" Naruto grinned.


    "Hmph, I suppose I can be your friend." Kurama grinned back.


    Naruto looked towards the sky again. This was it, after finally beating Kaguya Otsutsuki. He was forced to fight Sasuke, and in the end, they were going to die. He didn''t have too many regrets though, except he never did achieve his dream. He also wouldn''t get to eat anymore Ichiraku ramen, and he wouldn''t be able to see his friends anymore.


    Naruto bagan to cry as his thoughts drifted towards everyone he''d be leaving behind. Well, looks like I''ll be joining you soon Neji, he thought. Naruto then closed his eyes for the last time.


    -©\--------------------------------


    Kakashi and Sakura had been running as fast as they could. But when they got there, they realised they were too late. They jumped down towards where Naruto and Sasuke were.


    Sakura went to her knees as she began to cry her heart out. If only she''d been faster she thought. She hated how weak and helpless she felt at this very moment. She hugged Naruto''s and Sasuke''s heads in her lap as she wept. Kakashi stood behind her silently as tears streamed down his face. He placed his hand on her shoulder while covering his face with his other hand.


    He thought back to when he first met his students. All the missions they had as team 7. All the hardships they faced. He wept for Sasuke, but deep down, his tears were more for Naruto. Afterall, Sasuke had left the village, and while he regretted being unable to save his student, that was his choice to follow.


    After the two calmed down enough, they picked up the bodies and went to where everyone else was. Once there, all of Naruto''s friends began to cry. Rock Lee was bawling his eyes out as he wept for Naruto, as well as Hinata, Choji, and Ino. Shikamaru was also in tears, but like Kakashi, he was more silent.


    Later, once events started to calm down, a funeral was held for Naruto. After everything he''d done, many people from all the villages were present. As if the heavens were also weeping, it rained during the event. The clouds were dark and heavy as was the atmosphere. A second funeral was held for Sasuke, but it was a more close-knit event, and only the people who knew him showed up for it. Sasuke was still considered a criminal afterall. Eventually, the villages and people began to move on with their daily lives.


    -------------------- 4 years earlier -----------------------


    Naruto woke up with a gasp from his bed. He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes.


    "Am.. am I alive? I thought for sure I was dead.." He said aloud.


    He then began to look around, and noticed that he was inside his old apartment. The place was a mess with clothes and trash thrown all over the place. He then looked down at his hands. He then began to think to himself with his arms folded and eyes closed.


    Hmm? Did I get saved afterall? He thought, then he looked down at his hands.


    Wait, why do my hands look small? Feeling a sense of dread he quickly ran to the mirror in his room and looked at himself.


    "Why am I 12 again?! What''s happening?!" He yelled.


    Naruto then began to run in circles trying to wrap his brain around the bizzare situstion he found himself in. How had things come to this? The last thing he remembered was the battle with Sasuke and then dying from blood loss. He then looked at his right hand that he remembered losing. He clenched his fist and gulped. Does this mean I''ve somehow went back in time? Naruto started feeling excited. If everything happening right now wasn''t some kind of dream, and he really had gone back in time. Then he could change what happened.


    As long as he prepared himself for what was to come, he wouldn''t be caught off gaurd when the events happened. But he had to make sure some events didn''t happen like they did before. He then thought about the time when Sasuke left the village. He would make sure that this time, that doesn''t happen. He then thought about the times when he faught the different members of Akatsuki. Naruto would make sure things played out very differently this time. Then he thought about something else.


    What day is it? He ran over to his callender and checked. Today was the 15th, the day he graduated from the academy. He then checked the time and realised he was going to be late. He rushed to get ready. grabbing simple black pants, a white t-shirt, his blue sandals, his forehead protector, and his kunai pouch. He then jumped out his window and from rooftop to rooftop, made his way to the academy.


    On his way there, Naruto pondered over the events that took place. He still had no idea why he was in the past. But that did give him a chance to make things better. The only question was how he should go about doing that. The events that started us down this road have already happened, which means the war is inevitable at this point, Naruto thought. Which means my goal right now should be to train myself up so that I''m more than ready to take it head on.


    I should probably train to eliminate my weaknesses too, but how should I do that? He tilted his head in thought as he traveled, until his eyez brightened up when he came up with an idea. That''s it, I should use my shadow clones to train and gather experience, just like when I trained with Kakashi-sensei to create my Rasenshuriken jutsu. He then crossed his fingers and created 4 clones. This should be good to start with. While I go to the academy, they can go to the woods and train in chakra control and manipulation.


    He then sent his clones off to the woods while he continued on his way towards the academy.


    When he finally arrived at the classroom he was a little out of breath. After calming himself down, he opened up the door with a determined look. when he looked inside, he saw everyone he knew, minus Lee, Tenten, and Neji. Then he walked in wearing a stupid grin on his face, and found a place to sit down by Shikamaru. Everyone gave Naruto a weird look when he walked in. Other than his outfit being different, there didn''t seem anything else unusual, but what made them look was the fact that he was here. Didn''t he fail the exam? They thought.


    Kiba then walked up to Naruto and looked down at him. "Hey Naruto, why are you here? This is only for those who passed the exam."


    Naruto glanced up at Kiba and grinned. "Then why do I have a leaf shinobi protector as well?"


    The classroom started laughing as Kiba became red from embarrassment. But before he could retaliate, Iruka walked in and call the classroom to attention. So Kiba walked back to his seat grumbling to himself.


    At this point, Naruto started thinking to himself. He knew who would be in what teams, so he didn''t need to worry about that. But he did need to think about his training from now on. Because while his mind may be that of his future self, his body was still how it was when he was a kid. It was basically like a master swordsman with a rusty knife. He wouldn''t be able to fully put his skills to use until he trained his body more.


    But that was for the future, he thought. He then looked up as team 7 was called out, with a fire in his eyes.

 2 Chapter 2: Friends and Teamwork

    Once the teams were formed, each one got grouped together. Naruto was sitting on one side while Sakura was in the middle and Sasuke was on the other end. After some time had passed, the only team remaining inside the classroom was team 7. Sakura was fuming about how their sensei was late, while Sasuke was being his usual brooding self. Meanwhile, Naruto was thinking to himself.


    He didn''t think too much about Kakashi being late, afterall, that''s just how Kakashi was when he first met him. Naruto thought about what was about to happen, amd wondered if he should still act how he used to so as not to draw too much attention to himself. But while that might be beneficial in some ways, he felt it would be too limiting. If he were to showcase his real abilities, then while he may draw some unwanted attention, he''d end up with more trust in performing higher end missions, early on.


    Then he remembered one very important thing, was the Kurama inside him the past one, or the future one he knew. Naruto was sure regardless, he''d get Kurama to come around to be his friend. But things would be a hell of a lot easier if the Kurama from his time came back with him. Naruto looked up at the clock and saw that it''d still be some time before Kakashi would show up. So he decided to enter his mindscape and have a chat with the old fox.


    Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated. When he opened them, he was inside his mindscape. He was standing inside a hallway with water reaching up to his ankles, the walls looked old. He then turned towards a direction and started walking, he walked until he came upon a set of large cage doors. A large paper with the word seal was placed upon the lock on the door. He walked right up amd stared inside, there he saw Kurama sleeping.


    "Hey, time to wake up!" Naruto yelled.


    Kurama slowly opened his eyes and glared at Naruto before slowly getting up. He then got close to the doors before grinning.


    "Hello, brat, why don''t you come closer." Kurama growled.


    Naruto knew at this point that the only thing that went back in time was his own mind. So as far as we was aware, no one else had any knowledge of what would transpire in the coming years. He looked down in thought, while folding his arms. This was going to be tough, he knew he could eventually get Kurama on his side, and the sooner, the better. But he also knew that he''d have to deal with his inner darkness first. So while it was unfortunate, he wouldn''t be able to access any of Kurama''s chakra for the time being.


    The more Naruto thought about it, the more he realised how much he lacked. But, on the brightside, at least he had the knowledge of the techniques he needed to learn as well as knowledge of the future. With this, he could increase the efficiency and effectiveness of his training.


    Suddenly, Naruto was brought out of his thoughts when Kurama yelled at him. "Oi, brat, how dare you ignore me!?" Kurama slammed his claws against the cage as he glared at Naruto. Naruto looked back at Kurama and grinned, confusing the fox.


    "Sorry, my bad, I just wanted to confirm something real quick, you can go back to sleep now." He said while scratching his head.


    Kurama growled at Naruto while staring him down. "What is it that you wanted to confirm?" He asked. While he didn''t really care about Naruto, he was surprised when he sensed no fear emenating from the boy.


    "Just how much hatred you had in you." Naruto responded.


    Kurama narrowed his eyes at this response.


    "Hey, I may not be able to do anything now, but someday, I''m going to take care of all the hatred you have inside you. So wait for me until then. Okay?" Naruto continued while grinning. He then began walking away from the cage. Leaving Kurama alone with his own thoughts.


    Naruto slowly opened his eyes and checked the time. Kakashi still hadn''t shown up yet, so he looked over at Sakura who was fawning over Sasuke who was doing one hell of a job ignoring her. Naruto knew that Sakura always loved Sasuke, but now that he looked at them again. He realised just how annoying Sakura could get with her act. Hmm, he thought, maybe I should get them to talk about their skills, and so we can plan our coordination better. Even if I know what they''re capable of, they don''t know about each other or myself. Naruto then nodded his head in satisfaction of his plan.


    "Hey guys, why don''t we get to know each other and our skills." Naruto asked.


    Sakura and Sasuke looked at Naruto, Sasuke ignored him while Sakura began to go on a rant.


    "Geez Naruto, what are you saying, why do we need to do that, besides, everyone already knows that you can''t do anything right. So why don''t you just stay quiet and stay out of Sasuke''s and my way."


    Naruto had thought to be friendly, but he had completely forgotten how everyone had treated him back then. Which kind of ticked him off, especially since he wasn''t saying anything even wrong in this situation. So he couldn''t help it but to retort.


    "I''m sorry, then what are your skills then Sakura-chan? What can you do that will aid the team? What''s going to be your role in the formation? Are you a combat specialist? Will you be support? Are you good at ninjutsu? taijutsu? or genjutsu? How exactly are you going to be helpful on a real mission?" He said sternly with veins slightly bulging on his head.


    Both of them were taken aback by the sudden change in Naruto, and before Sakura could say anything else, he continued on.


    "What about you Sasuke? What can you do?" Naruto asked.


    Sasuke looked at him for a moment before replying. "If you''re going to ask that, how about you start with yourself."


    "Yeah, that''s right, why don''t you tell us what you can do Naruto!" Sakura agreed.


    Naruto looked at Sakura as if she were an idiot, she basically just agrees with Sasuke on everything. he thought.


    "Alright, fine, I''m a combat specialist, my specialty right now is the shadow clone technique, I can also perform the henge jutsu and substitution jutsu. I can create about 20 clones right now." Naruto spoke. Then when he saw the look of doubt on their faces, he figured it was best tl show them.


    "Multi shadow clone jutsu!" He said as he crossed his fingers together. 20 Naruto clones appeared in a puff of smoke and filled the classroom. Needless to say, both Sasuke and Sakura were surprised. Especially when they saw that Naruto''s clones were solid clones that could interact with their surroundings.


    Naruto then began to continue talking. "This technique is pretty useful, I could use this to create distractions, gather information, and to out number my opponents. So, am I useless?"


    He then released the clones, and stared at the two. He waited for them to collect themselves, and get over their surprise. Once they were calmed down, Sasuke began talking. "I have the clone technique, henge jutsu, and substitution jutsu, I can also use the fireball jutsu as well."


    Kyaa, oh my god, Sasuke is so cool! Sakura screamed in her mind. She smiled to herself, as she knew Sasuke would be strong. But that was when Naruto looked at her and asked her again. "What can you do Sakura?"


    She looked at him, and said shyly, "I can do the clome technique, henge jutsu, and substitution jutsu."


    Naruto looked at her and waited for her to say more. He knew she wouldn''t, but he still gave her a chance. When he thought about it, she really was pretty weak, it was always him or Sasuke getting the team out of trouble, or Kakashi-sensei rescuing them. The more he thought about it, the more he realised that Sakura was a burden on the team until she met Lady Tsunade.


    He looked down and sighed, the next chance he got, he''d have to try and get the old granny to come back to the village so Sakura could learn from her. He then looked up at her again. "So is that it? You''re pretty useless." He hated saying it, but he had tl get Sakura facing reality as soon as possible. It was for her own good, and it would help the team in the long run as well.


    Sakura was utterly shocked when she heard Naruto say thay to her. So was Sasuke, not that he didn''t agree after what he heard, but he still never expected him of all people to say that. Sakura then looked down towards the ground. She couldn''t argue back, because she''d just seen Naruto create 20 shadow clones like it was nothing. Needless to say about Sasuke, compared to them, what could she offer to the team.


    Just then, Kakashi walked in the classroom, when he looked inside, he saw a serious looking Naruto with his arms crossed, an almost crying Sakura, and a surprised Sasuke. Kakashi couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow at the situation he walked in on.


    "Hmm, my first impression of you guys..." Before he could finish, Naruto interrupted him.


    "We''re idiots...right?" He looked over grinning at Kakashi.


    Kakashi looked over at Naruto surprised before recovering himself again.


    "Hmm. meet me on the rooftop in 10 minutes." Then Kakashi body flickered to the rooftop, vanishing from their view.


    I need to learn that, Naruto thought to himself. He then started walking out of the classroom towardsthe rooftop. He knew they were just going to do self introductions and that the survival training was happening tomorrow, so he didn''t feel rushed. Once he got to the rooftop, he saw Kakashi sitting on the railings. reading a book. Naruto knew it was from the makeout paradise series, which reminded him of Jiraiya and his book, Tales of a Gutsy Ninja. He smiled slightly at the thought of his master. He would absolutely make sure he didn''t die in this life. He then sat himself down on the steps and waited for Sasuke and Sakura to show up a minute later.


    Once they were all gathered, Kakashi cleared his throat and began speaking. "Now that we''re all here, why don''t we introduce ourselves, our names, things we like, things we hate, dreams for the future. and our hobbies."


    Everyone was quiet for a minute before Naruto raised his hand. "Hey Kakashi-sensei, how about you go first and give us an example." Naruto suggested.


    Kakashi looked at them, "Me? Hmm, I''m Hatake Kakashi, things I like, and things I hate. I don''t feel like telling you guys. Dreams for the future? I haven''t thought about it. My hobbies, I have lots of hobbies." He concluded.


    Naruto grinned inwardly as he knew this was coming while Sakura grumbled about only learning his name.


    "Now then, you blondie, you go." Kakashi said pointing at Naruto.


    Naruto looked up and grinned, " I''m Uzumaki Naruto, I like Ichiraku''s ramen, I hate snakes. My dream is to become Hokage, and earn everyone''s respect, and my hobbies include training!"


    Kakashi smiled as he thought to himself. Looks like your son has the same dream as you sensei. Then he looked over at Sakura. "Alright Pink hair, your turn."


    Sakura then began to go into her fan girl mode as she looked at Sasuke. "I''m Haruno Sakura, My likes are.... My dreams are.... My hobbies are..... and my dislikes? Naruto!" She yelled at the end.


    Both Naruto and Kakashi looked at her with a half hearted smile. Then Kakashi looked towards Sasuke. "Now it''s your turn."


    Sasuke looked up. "I''m Uchiha Sasuke, I don''t have likes, and I dislike many things, I don''t have a dream, but I have an ambition, to kill a certain someone and avenge my clan."


    Naruto was deep in thought as he remembered his last conversation with Itachi in his previous life. He knew Sasuke didn''t know about it, and he wasn''t sure if it was the right decision to tell him or not. But as things stood now, there wasn''t anything he could do about it right now. On the other hand, Sakura just looked confused as she stared at Sasuke. Kakashi was quiet for a moment before he started talking again.


    "Well, now that we''ve all introduced ourselves, let''s get down to business. Tomorrow will be our first mission as a team, we will be conducting a survival training."


    Sakura looked confused as she raised her hand. "But sensei, we''ve already done survival training when we were in the academy, why are we doing this?"


    Kakashi smiled at her. "You see, the academy is designed to weed out the week from the strong, of the 27 graduates, only 9 will actually make it to genin, this is a pass fail exercise with a fail rate of 66%. You either succeed or you don''t."


    "But that''s not fair, we worked really hard already, and now you''re saying all that hard work might not mean a thing now?" She cried out.


    Kakashi then got serious for a moment as he responded. "Do you think the enemy will care whether or not the situation is fair? Grow up, you became a shinobi, this isn''t a game."


    Sakura instantly closed her mouth afterwards as she sat back down. Naruto could only nod in agreement with Kakashi and Sasuke was still his usual brooding self. Kakashi then stood up and got ready to leave.


    "Right, we will be starting at 6 in the morning, don''t be late. Oh, and make sure you guys don''t eat in the morning. You don''t want to puke." Kakashi warned before vanishing from his spot, using the body flicker technique.


    Naruto then stood up and stretched, and started walking away as well. "I''d recommend thinking hard about what happened today and about how we want to proceed tomorrow, that way we all pass and become genin." He then left them alone to their thoughts as he walked towards the woods instead of going home. He knew he needed time to train, and there was no way he could go the traditional method either. He had to get as strong as possible within the quickest amount of time.


    He then came upon where he had his clones training by trying to climb trees with just chakra on their feet. Their was only one left from the original 4 clones, but what had taken him several days before, he''d turned it into a few hours. He used the clones experience gain as well as the knowledge from his past life to improve the rate lf his training explosively. But he wasn''t stopping here. Naruto then create 20 clones after dispersing the last one from the previous 4. He was now going to practice walking on water. Once he mastered that, he''d start training to do Rasengan, and he had a night to complete all of it. Time to use guts to complete this training from hell he thought. He grinned as he charged up his chakra.

 3 Chapter 3: Guts, Training, and Survival

    Naruto panted as he collapsed onto the ground. His clones had dispersed slowly throughout the evening and into the night. Which each dispersal, he had taken on the accumulated fatigue of each clone. On the bright side, he''d mastered walking on water in a couple hours. When he thought back to the time when he first learned, it hadn''t taken him too long as he had already been through so many things. Making him used to expending his chakra. He grinned as he remembered how he met Jiraiya. Then he slapped his cheeks. "Alright, time to get back into it!" He told himself.


    He had come to the realization earlier today that his chakra control felt off to him. He could still perform his techniques, but they didn''t feel as stable as they should. When he thought about it, he couldn''t come up with an answer right away. So in the end, he decided to train his chakra control to work out any discomfort he felt. Which caused him to remember the tree climbing exercise, as well as Sakura''s explanation back then. He couldn''t remember much from it, but he did remember her explaining how chakra was a combination of both physical energy and spiritual energy, and in the right ratio, would form chakra. Then it dawned on him, his spiritual energy was the same as his soul and mind, which came from the future, whereas his physical energy came from his body which was from his genin days.


    Then it was no wonder his chakra control felt off to him. His physical energy was lacking greatly compared to his spiritual energy. Luckily, all he had to do was push his body beyond his limits through training to fix it. This realization greatly relieved him, because he was worried that something might be wrong with him.


    He then pulled out a rubber ball. Earlier, after he had finished water walking, he sent out several clones to buy water balloons and rubber balls. When they had returned, he had begun training to do the rasengan. For the water balloon portion, he had grabbed one and tried it with a clone how he did it in the past and thr ballon popped like he thought it would. But this time, he wanted to be able to pull it off without clones. So he''d spent several hours with the clones trying to make it pop with just his chakra control. But just like with his rasenshuriken training in the past, he was slowly making progress.


    He gripped the rubber ball and concentrated. Naruto gathered the chakra in his body into his palm forming the shape of a ball. Then he began to spin it in every direction, trying to compress it as it spun around and around. He started the rotations slow at first, slowly increasing the speed. Faster and faster he thought, then, the rubber ball popped. All the Narutos stared at the remains of the ball in his stand. Then they erupted into cheers, as they had finally done it. Naruto sat down against a tree as his clones dispersed. He looked up into the sky at the full moon. Just you wait, he thought, I''m gonna show you all something really surprising, he grinned to himself.


    After about half an hour, Naruto jumped up and created 5 clones. So this is all I can create for now, hmm, how am I gonna pull off the survival training? He wondered, then he was struck by an idea. Soldier pills, that''s it, he thought, during his training for the rasenshuriken, Sakura had made him a ton of soldier pills to keep him going. He then sent a clone to purchase them, and half an hour later, the clone returned with a bag of soldier pills. Naruto popped one into his mouth and swallowed it. After a few minutes, he felt full of energy and chakra. This is great, he thought, with this, I can complete my training easily.


    He then got read and looked at a tree nearby, test number 1 he thought. Then he began gathering his chakra and rotating it in the palm of his hand. soon, a rasengan had formed and he thrust his palm forward, hitting the tree. He then felt the tree twist before breaking and spiraling away in front lf him. Naruto jumped up, pumping his fist into the air with excitement. He finally truly mastered this technique, now all he needed to do was practice using it in combat. He then instructed his clones to spar with him and each other. There were two sets of clones fighting each other leaving him with the 5th one. While he''d prefer sparring against someone else, this was also a way for him to check out his own weaknesses and improve upon them as well as see ways to counter his moves. That way, he would have an idea of what to expect.


    Hours passed as he sparred with his clones, and soon, there was only him and one other clone left. The two clashed in mid air as the clone disappeared and Naruto fell to the ground exhausted. He was covered in sweat and had bruises and cuts all over. Breathing heavily, he pushed himself up off the ground. He grabbed another soldier pill and swallowed it. He knew he had about an hour left before he had to meet up with everyone. So he decided to end his training and clean up. He went back to his apartment and threw his clothes into a basket and took a shower. Once he got out, he put on some fresh clothes.


    Naruto wore his orange jumpsuit again, even though he grew out of it, it still held a lot of memories that were dear to him. After getting dressed, he looked in the mirror and made sure he had everything. Then he left his room and headed towards the training field where he saw Sakura and Sasuke waiting for him.


    He walked towards them and greeted, before sitting down nearby. He knew Kakashi wasn''t going to show up for a while longer, so he had some time to kill. He then looked over at Sakura and thought about what he said earlier. He didn''t mean to be rude, but he couldn''t help getting angry.


    "Hey, Sakura... I''m sorry for snapping at you yesterday." Naruto sheepishly grinned as he scratched his head.


    Sakura looked at him surprised for a moment before nodding her head. "It''s alright Naruto, she said, you weren''t exactly wrong about what you said." She had spent some time thinking about it the night before, and while going over, she realized he was right. She didn''t have anything to really offer towards the team. She had always just followed the crowd and her crush towards Sasuke. Finally, after being placed on the same team as him, she felt like she was on cloud nine. But then it was Naruto who had brought her back down, and realized that she had never taken any of thjs seriously like she should have. Then, when Kakashi had snapped at her as well, it really drove reality home to her.


    While there was nothing she could do about the past, she had decided that she was going to get serious about training as a kunoichi. She was determined not to slow the team down in any way.


    Naruto looked grateful to Sakura, he didn''t like being at odds with his friends. Then he got up and stood in front of the two.


    "You know, if we''re going to be a team from now on, I think we should have a rough idea of who''s going to be what in our formation." Naruto grinned at the two while he spoke.


    Both Sasuke and Sakura looked at him, wondering what he was getting at.


    "Well, if we just do whatever we feel like, then we won''t have any coordination, and then we''d risk getting in each other''s way when completing a mission. So if we each have a role we focus on, we''ll be less likely to make a mistake in our teamwork." Naruto stressed the word teamwork when he spoke.


    He knew he shouldn''t give away too much, afterall, being told the answer and figuring it out on your own were two different things. He also felt that figuring it out on your own was better, and made the lesson stick more. But he had no issues about giving hints.


    "For example, I''m primarily a close range fighter, so I would he best suited to getting the enemies attention on me, if Sasuke were to also try to do close range fighting, we''d be stepping on each other''s toes before we could defeat the enemy. At least for now since this is the first time we''ve worked together." Naruto went on.


    The two nodded finding sense in Naruto''s line of thinking. Then, Sasuke looked up at Naruto. "So I should probably be in the mid range, since I have my fireball jutsu, I can support you with shurikens and while you distract the enemy, I can use my fireball jutsu to blast them from behind."


    Naruto nodded, agreeing with Sasuke, he was actually about to suggest it himself. However, he hesitated because he didn''t want to deal with Sasuke''s pride, as it would only hinder their teamwork, so Sasuke suggesting it himself was perfect for his plans. Then Naruto looked at Sakura. At this point, Sakura had already caught on to the team''s positioning and knew all that was left for her was the rear support.


    "Then I''ll be in the back supporting you guys as you fight, I can create traps that can provide you guys with the right openings." She finished.


    The two boys nodded at her, and while they were busy discussing possible formations, Kakashi was sitting on a tree watching them.


    Hmm, I could probably pass them all right now based on what they''re doing... but, real life situations don''t always go as planned, so I should still test them. At least they''re on the right track, he smiled to himself. He then flickered and appeared near the trio.


    "Good, you''re all here-" He began.


    "Ahh! Where have you been? You''re late! I couldn''t properly dry my hair this morning because I was afraid of running late myself!" Sakura held an accusatory finger towards Kakashi.


    "Now now, I was lost on the road of life and then I saw a black cat so I had to go the long way around." He said smiling.


    Sakura was still fuming, but she decided to let it go.


    "Now then, today we will be conducting a simple survival exercise. Your goal as a team is simple, collect these two bells." Kakashi said, holding out two silver bells in his hand.


    "Whoever is able to get a bell before 12 will pass and officially become a genin." Kakashi smiled.


    "Hold on a second, there''s only two bells and three of us, what happens to the one that doesn''t get a bell?" Sakura asked.


    "It''s quite simple really, whoever doesn''t get a bell, will be sent back to the academy." Kakashi said.


    Both Sasuke and Sakura looked shocked, while Naruto on the other hand just smiled to himself. He knew this was coming, but he still found it funny to watch.


    "Now, when I say, we will begin the exercise. Good luck. Begin!" Kakashi spoke.


    When he looked around, he saw that Sasuke and Sakura were able to hide themselves well. However, when he looked back, he saw Naruto staring him down.


    "You seem to be having trouble understanding the point of this exercise." Kakashi said scratching his head. He had felt previously in his few interactions with the group that Naruto was the more mature one, but he guessed he was wrong. This fit more with what the report had told him about Naruto at least.


    Naruto glared at Kakashi before pointing and shouting. "I''m more than enough to take you down"


    He then ran towards Kakashi and created two clones. He then tried to leg sweep Kakashi, who simply jumped above it. Then the first Naruto clone Jumped above him, swinging the second at Kakashi, trying to land some hits on him. Kakashi blocked both of the clones fists and swung him around throwing the clone at the other. Both clones dispersed into smoke while Naruto through shurikens aimed at both of sides of Kakashi who used a substitution jutsu to evade it.


    Kakashi was impressed, while still rough around the edges, Naruto was excellent in hand to hand combat. He had a good grasp of how to use his clones and the use of shurikens to create surprise attacks. He then reached up from underground and grabbed Naruto. But then he noticed something wrong, Naruto was wrapped in paper bombs as he grinned down at Kakashi. The next thing anyone knew was the paper bombs exploding, creating a huge smoke screen that covered the area. Kakashi had just barely been able to get away in time before it went off. That Naruto, he thought, he was never there to begin with, he left a clone behind to figure out my fighting style. He was truly impressed with Naruto''s ingenuity with his clones. To go as far as to use a clone as a suicide bomber.


    Naruto opened his eyes as he processed the experience his clones had gathered about Kakashi and relayed the information to Sasuke and Sakura who were beside him. The two stared wide eyed at Naruto, he was like a completely different person from the prankster kid back at the academy. They then began devising a plan to corner Kakashi, who at the time was reevaluating Naruto in his mind.


    "Alright, so our best bet is to get Kakashi to lower his guard down, that way, we can surprise him and get the jump on him." Naruto said. "With that said, I think Sakura, you should lay out some traps, at the very least, we can annoy Kakashi-sensei with them."


    Sakura nodded her.


    "Sasuke, you analyze Kakashi-sensei and wait for a chance to get him with your fireball jutsu, while I rush him and keep him on his toes. That way, we don''t give him a chance to think." Naruto finished.


    Sasuke nodded his head as well.


    "Alright, so we''ll set up the traps here, and lure Kakashi-sensei here, and with any luck, we''ll get those bells." Naruto said confidently.


    "But wait, Naruto, there are only two bells, what are we going to do?" Sakura asked, this question had been bothering her for awhile. She didn''t want any lf them to be sent back. Sasuke was quiet as well.


    "Don''t worry about it Sakura, if we focus too much on the bells, then there''s a chance none of us will pass this exercise." Naruto grinned at them.


    What he said seemed to have calmed Sakura down some. Then the two of them looked at Naruto with determination.


    "Right, let''s get started!" Naruto exclaimed, he was ready to give Kakashi one big surprise.

 4 Chapter 4: Survival training complete! Team 7 is formed!

    Kakashi was crouching down behind a bush, he then peekd around making sure no one was there. Sweat dropped from his forehead as he thought back to earlier events. What did he do to deserve all this, he wondered. He then heard a twig snap and threw a kunai at the source, only to discover it was just a rabit. He breathed out a sigh of relief, those kids were really giving him a headache.


    -Earlier-


    Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke had finished their plan and began making preparations. In order to make sure Kakashi stayed away long enough for them to finish, they had Naruto harrass Kakashi with his shadow clones.


    Naruto hid behind a tree as he created ten shadow clones. He then instructed them to transform into random things within the woods. He then crept through the trees, heading in Kakashi''s direction.


    Kakashi had originally planned on reading his makeout paradise book, but unfortunately, Naruto had proved too much trouble for him to do that. So he regretfully left it in his pouch. He then thought about his next move when he suddenly dodged as two shurikens flashed by where he stood.


    Damn it, he thought, couldn''t he get one second without interruption. Naruto appeared behind him, kunai in hand as he slashed down towards Kakashi. Kakashi grabed Naruto''s wrist and flipped him over his shoulder, discovering to his dismay that it was a shadow clone. Then two clones jumped out of two bushes and grabbed hold of his legs, while a third came from above. The clone brought his hands together and slammed them onto Kakashi''s head. A puff of smoke poofed out as a log appeared in Kakashi''s place. Then Kakashi used the earth release: multiple earth-style wall jutsu while in the air, trapping the Naruto clones inside. Then he used the water release: water dragon bullet jutsu to destroy them all in one go. He landed on a nearby branch and breathed out heavily. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw ten shurikens flying at him. He jumped out of the way as the shurikens hit where he stood. Unfortunately, two of the shurikens hit each other sending one of them flying at him while the other went in a different direction.


    He grabed one of his own shurikens and threw it, deflecting it. While in mid air, four more Naruto''s jumped out. One of the clones kicked him up, while another jumped up and punched him even higher.


    "U...Zu..." They started.


    The third clone jumped off of the second, punching Kakashi again, finally the fourth clone hit him once more.


    "Ma...Ki..." The clones continued.


    However, before Kakashi could think it was over, Naruto came out from the top of the trees and rotating, slammed a kick into Kakashi, flinging him towards the ground.


    Kakashi rotated himself mid air, before landing on his feet on the ground. He couldn''t help but hold his stomach in pain. He didn''t want to admit it, but Naruto was giving him a run for his money when it came to taijutsu. Thankfully, Naruto''s ninjutsu didn''t seem to extend beyond the shadow clone technique. Otherwise, Kakashi worried about whether or not he could keep up with the kid. He looked up at Naruto and saw him grinning, which made Kakashi upset a little. How could he let himself be outdone by his new student, he had to take him down a peg or two.


    Kakashi then slowly lifted his forehead protector above his eye. But before anything could happen.


    "Sorry Kakashi-sensei, I''m only here to keep you occupied, I really don''t want to get serious. bye-bye!" Naruto said before jumping away.


    Kakashi couldn''t help but feel like he was lead by the nose, and right as his expectations were getting up. He was suddenly dropped down, feeling more confused than anything else. Where was his shining moment of impressing his pupil with his true skills? He wondered, this wasn''t fair. Just then, he felt a tap on his shoulder, he looked over to see a Naruto clone with paper bombs covering him grinning. Kakashi''s eyes went wide as he immediately escaped from the explosion, which forced him deeper into the woods.


    Seriously, he thought, he really couldn''t get a break. But where was Sasuke and Sakura? He thought, so far, the only one who''s been engaging him was Naruto, and while he was impressed with the boy''s skill. It wasn''t what he was testing. Which disappointed him, since he saw them planning together earlier. As he was running through the woods, he noticed a glare hitting his eyes. When he stopped, he saw a trip wire which was connected to some more paper bombs.


    Traps huh? I guess this must be from Sakura, she seems like the type who''d pull this thing together. Kakashi thought, then he noticed a kunai fly at him, he jumped out of the way but then the kunai cut the trip wire causing the paper bombs to explode. Shit! He thought, and using the earth release: hiding like a mole technique, he hid himself underground to avoid the blast. Then, using the magnetic forces around him, he sensed his surroundings and found thay the whole area was covered in traps. Great, he thought, not only do I need to be careful about setting off traps, I need to be careful of them setting them off.


    Kakashi dug his way to behind a tree and concealed himself there. Nothing had gone how he expected them to go, and he knew exactly who to blame. Naruto, the kid had blown away his expectations completely. He had even prepared himself to use the sharingan. But he was outmaneuvered each time. He sighed to himself as he thought.


    Then he looked up suddenly and saw Sasuke above him forming hand seals.


    <horse> <tiger> <serpent> <ram> <monkey> <boar> <horse> <tiger>


    Fire style: fire ball jutsu!


    Sasuke spewed out a large fire ball straight towards Kakashi. Just as he was about to dodge out of the way, he saw Sakura throw several shurikens at him from the side. Leaving him no choice but to quickly delve back underground to escape. He then decided he was going to take out Sasuke first. But that was when Naruto did something he hadn''t expected.


    "Rasengan!" Naruto yelled slamming the rasengan into the ground, crearing a crator and forcing Kakashi to escape out of the ground wide eyed as he stared at Naruto.


    "But- That jutsu?" He muttered, before snapping back to reality as he saw Sasuke charge at him.


    He focused back on Sasuke while still keeping an eye out for Naruto. Sasuke aimed a kick at his head, which Kakashi caught in his hand. Then, Sasuke flipped over and kicked with his other leg, forcing Kakashi to grab the foot as well. Sasuke leaned back and stretched out his arms right in the moment when Naruto grabbed hold of Sasuke''s wrists and pulled swinging them around before tossing Kakashi towards the ground. Then Naruto tossed Sasuke a giant shuriken who grabbed it.


    "Demon wind shuriken: windmill shadow" Sasuke threw the giant shuriken at Kakashi. Kakashi then dodged the first one, and noticing the second one jumped out of the way as well. That''s when the second shuriken transformed into one of Naruto''s clones who threw a kunai at the back of Kakashi. Kakashi then created a shadow clone, and using the clone, threw himself out of the way while the clone took the hit. He then flickered away and hid himself.


    -present-


    Those kids had one surprise right after the other, and not only that, but his chakra reserves were getting low as well. This had turned into something completely different than the initial survival training he had in mind. He looked up towards the sun, there was about half an hour left before it would be 12. Then, the exercise would be over, and he would have made it. In the end, this had turned into a survival mission for him without him realizing it. He swore that he wouldn''t let anyone find out about this. Especially Might Guy, he thought.


    A kunai was then thrown at him and he was forced to dodge it. This time, he wasn''t going to hold back anymore, so he pulled up his forehead protector and revealed his sharingan. Naruto was staring at him while smiling, and that''s when Kakashi noticed Sakura behind him throwing several shurikens at him, he jumped out of the way only to find Naruto in front of him. Naruto reached out and grabbed tightly onto Kakashi before yelling.


    "Now Sasuke!"


    Sasuke was in the air again and created another fireball that he shot at Kakashi. To make matters worse, Naruto had jumped out with a rasengan in hand. He then touched the the fireball with his rasengan combining the two jutsus into one.


    "Fire style: burning rasengan!" Naruto thrust his hand down and hit Kakashi''s gut with the rasengan, blasting him away towards the ground. The last thought Kakashi had was; damn, now I can''t read my makeout paradise book today. Then he blacked out, a few hours later, he came to and sat straight up while groaning. He looked down and saw that his gut had been bandaged up, and that his wounds were dressed properly as well. When he looked up, he saw Sasuke and Sakura each holding a bell while Naruto was standing with his hands behind his head grinning at him.


    "Looks like we win sensei!" Naruto said cheerfully.


    Kakashi couldn''t help but chuckle to himself. They really had blown away his expectations. While Naruto may have lead the team, the groups teamwork was perfect. Despite only working together just this once, they each had played a role vital in beating him. Though Kakashi felt like Naruto probably could''ve done even better than what he''d displayed. But the team had passed his test with flying colors.


    He looked up at everyone and said. "Congratulations, you all pass!"


    Sasuke couldn''t help but smirk to himself, while Sakura was cheering happily. Naruto just grinned and laughed. Then, Sakura remembered something.


    "But sensei, not that I''m unhappy with your decision, but didn''t you say only those of us that had bells would pass?"


    Kakashi smiled at her. "You see, it was never about the bells, it was about how well you three could work together as a team, even though the situation demanded that you three think of yourselves first. A long time ago, a friend told me that those who disobey orders are scum. But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum. You three have demonstrated what I wanted you to learn perfectly, and therefore, you all pass!"


    Sakura thought about what Kakashi had taught them, and found herself agreeing with the lesson they learned. Naruto, had already known what the lesson was, but he still listened to Kakashi explain it clearly. It was one of the many lessons that had forged him into who he became. Sasuke was quiet and didn''t say much in regards to what Kakashi had told them. All that really mattered to him was that he was finally a genin, and he could further this training to achieve his goal.


    "Well, this turned out really unexpectedly, I think I should probably go to the hospital for a checkup." Kakashi said suddenly.


    Naruto couldn''t help but grin sheepishly, knowing that it was because of him that Kakashi was as injured as he was. So team 7 helped escort their sensei, where they got an earful for overdoing it on their training. As the sun was setting, Naruto couldn''t help but watch the clouds. He say on the old swing by the academy, he had so many things he needed to do. But for now, he was happy with the current peace that he had. It had been too long since he had a moment to enjoy this, and he was determined to make sure that it would continue. In order to do that, he had to train even harder than before. Just as Naruto was about to leave, he was overwhelmed by exhaustion and pain. In his last thoughts, he remembered the soldier pills he had eaten, and what he had been doing the past two days.


    Naruto collapsed unconscious onto the ground by the academy school grounds.

 5 Chapter 5: Sudden encounter! Narutos promise!

    Shikamaru was walking home after eating at the grill with team 10. He was passing the academy as he watched the clouds. Man, what a drag, he thought, why''d I get stuck with Ino in my team? Though I guess there was no way around it considering our parents. Shikamaru looked utterly bored as he continued walking. He then looked over and noticed Naruto sitting on the swing watching the clouds. Oh look, Naruto''s hanging out by himself again, but he doesn''t look depressed this time, He thought.


    Just as he was going to look away, he saw Naruto get up and then collapse onto the ground. Oi, oi, he thought, are you serious? He ran over to where Naruto was wide eyed. After seeing Naruto''s condition, he noticed that he was completely bruised and injured, and his breathing was ragged. Damn, this doesn''t look good, Shikamaru thought. He then picked him up and carried him on his back as he ran towards the hospital. On the way there, Shikamaru ran into Choji who was busy snacking on a bag of chips.


    "Oh, hey Shikamaru, what are you-?"


    "No time to talk Choji, I saw Naruto collapse back at the academy and he''s in pretty bad shape too." Shikamaru interrupted as he continued running past.


    Curious about the situation, Choji decided to follow after Shikamaru. As they ran, they got several curious looks from people. Choji seemed unbothered by it all while Shikamaru was getting a headache over the whole situation.


    Sakura was at one of the many ninja stores, looking through different equipment. She had decided that she was going to get serious about being a kunoichi, and she wasn''t going to let Naruto show her up all the time. But that meant she had to start doing some serious training in order to catch up to him. As she left the store, she saw Shikamaru and Choji run by.


    "That''s weird, I never see those two running like that." She said to herself.


    She then looked over at their backs and saw an unconscious Naruto lying on Shikamaru''s back. Sakura immediately knew something was wrong, as Naruto had been full of energy just earlier to today. So she began chasing after the two to find out what happened.


    After a few minutes, Shikamaru and Choji finally arrived at the hospital.


    "Excuse me, nurse, I have a patient that needs to be admitted!" Shikamaru announced loudly.


    The nurse looked up from her paperwork and saw Naruto on Shikamaru''s back. She got up from her desk and quickly inspected Naruto''s condition. She then called in for more assistance and several other nurses quickly got a stretcher and layed Naruto onto it as they began checking his vitals and wheeling him away. Shikamaru sighed as he sat down on a bench nearby.


    "Man, this is such a drag" He complained.


    Sakura burst open the doors as she ran inside, then as she spotted Shikamaru, she bolted straight for him. Shikamaru could only see a pissed off Sakura make a beeline towards him. She then grabbed Shikamaru by his collar and lifted him up.


    "Shi-ka-mar-u! She said angered, what happened to Naruto?!" She shook him over and over as she asked her question.


    Choji then raised his hand as he tapped Sakura on the shoulder.


    "You know Shikamaru can''t answer if you keep shaking him like that." He said while munching on chips.


    Sakura then breathed out and calmed down before setting Shikamaru down on his feet. Shikamaru grabbed his neck and rubbed it. Man, this chick is crazy, why do I have to get involved with her? He complained internally.


    "I don''t know much more than you, I only saw Naruto collapse at the academy and carried him here." Shikamaru explained.


    "Just what exactly did you guys do today?" He asked, he couldn''t think of any other explanation besides extremely intense training. But seeing how Sakura looked completely fine made him rethink that theory.


    "We just did a survival training exercise with our sensei this morning, and he was fine when we finished." Sakura answered.


    Shikamaru rubbed his temple as he felt a headache coming. So if Naruto was fine during the exercise, that means one of two possibilities he thought. He was either faking it in front of his team, or something happened afterwards when they seperated. From what I know about Naruto, he doesn''t seem like he''d be good at faking his condition, so I''m inclined to believe the later possibility. Man, this is really such a drag.


    While in thought, a nurae called out to the group.


    "Excuse me, are you guys the ones who brought in the patient Uzumaki Naruto?" The nurse asked.


    "Yeah, we are. is our friend alright?" Shikamaru sighed.


    "Please pardon me, but the head doctor wishes to see you all and ask you some questions regarding his condition." The nurse replied.


    This shocked the group, apparently, Naruto''s condition was a lot worse than they first thought. The trio were then brought to the head doctor. He was a simple man who wore the standard medical-nin attire. He had a clipboard in hand as he sat at his desk.


    "Please be seated, I must ask you three questions regarding the condition of the patient Uzumaki Naruto." The doctor said.


    The trio nodded and sat down. Then they waited for the doctor to continue.


    "Now, who know what the patient has done today?" The doctor asked.


    Sakura raised her hand and began recounting the events that happened earlier in the day. While listening, Shikamaru couldn''t help but get surprised at what he heard, according to Sakura, Naruto lead their team to winning against their team''s sensei. He thought about his own team, and his ability to plan. He thought about their team''s sensei, Asuma, and wondered if he could do the same if placed in the same position. He knew he could come up with several plans as long as he was prepared, but he wasn''t sure if his team had the ability to pull it off.


    Which meant that Naruto not only was good at coming up with a strategy, but he was strong enough to back it up as well. Shikamaru could shake his head and sigh. He was too lazy to try and keep up with someone like that. After Sakura finished, the doctor nodded his head and jotted down some notes.


    "That explains some of the injuries we identified on his body. On his right hand all the way up to his elboy we had discovered third degree burns as well as several lacerations across his palm. The doctor commented, according to the jutsu you described at the end, it was most likely the cause of those. His body has also been diagnosed with severe exhaustion, which based on our information, we can attribute it to his shadow clone technique."


    Sakura was shocked. "Wait, I can understand the dangers of that jutsu he used, but what''s the danger of using shadow clones?" She asked.


    "You see miss, the shadow clone technique was created by the first Hokage, and thus we have done extensive research on the jutsu. From our archives, the jutsu has been known to transmit the accumulated knowledge and exhaustion back to the original, and from your description of how he used the technique to create that many clones and to use them in such a manner, it''s no wonder his body is as exhausted as it is." The doctor explained, shocking Sakura even more.


    "But that still doesn''t explain how we discovered traces of soldier pills being consumed by him." The doctor said to himself.


    The trio looked up at this, Sakura had no idea what the doctor was talking about. That''s when Choji spoke up.


    "He got those from my clan, He came by yesterday and bought some. But he never said why he needed them." Choji explained.


    Shikamaru thought to himself for a moment. Naruto had bought soldier pills from Choji''s clan, but Sakura never saw Naruto eat anything, which means he must have consumed the pills prior to this morning. But the only reason someone would consume soldier pills is if they were completely spent lf their chakra and were worn out. The pill would allow them to recover their chakra and strength to keep going before collapsing as a side effect. That''s when it all clicked inside Shikamaru''s mind. Naruto must have been training himself to death the night before, and while he was in need of something to recover quickly for his morning survival training exercise, he consumed the soldier pill. Add on Sakura''s story on what took place and everything fell into place. It was only a matter of time before Naruto would collapse and he had just happened to be there when the time was up.


    Shikamaru then decided to explain his theory to the doctor who nodded his head in agreement.


    "I see, that would explain everything we''ve diagnosed the boy with. Alright, thank you for your time, you three may go." The doctor gave them a farewell.


    Sakura looked stunned as they left the room and soon the trio was back sitting inside the waiting room. Shikamaru felt awkward sitting by Sakura and wanted to leave, but he couldn''t find the right opportunity to. So he just sat there trying to think about anything else. Choji seemed unperturbed as he kept eating his chips.


    Shikamaru then got up and decided to leave, then he turned around and saw Sakura still sitting there.


    "You know, he probably won''t wake up today, why don''t you come back tomorrow and check up on him?" He suggested.


    Sakura seemed to snap back to reality from his words, and after thinking for a moment, nodded her head. The trio then left the hospital and went back to their respective homes.


    ------------------------


    Naruto was sitting in front of a set of large caged doors, as a pair of large red eyes glared at him. Though Naruto didn''t pay them any mind, he was focused on plans for the future. He knew that after a few missions, his team would get sent to the land of waves. After that, they would come back and then participate in the chuunin exams. Then the sand would attack, Lord third would pass away, and he and Jiraiya would go search for granny Tsunade. Before that though, Itachi and Kisame would make an appearance and cause trouble too. Then once they get back from searching for Tsunade, she would heal Lee from his injuries, and then Sasuke would leave the village. After failing to bring him back, he would recuperate and then go on a journey to become stronger.


    Those were the most immediate events that would take place in the coming months. So he had to make sure he trainee accordingly. For starters, he needed to learn some other jutsus besides the ones he already knows. That way he can increase his ways of dealing with situations. He also definitely needed to create a summoning contract too. He then glanced up at Kurama he was silently glaring at him.


    "You know, your face will get stuck like that if you keep glaring at me." Naruto said grinning.


    Kurama was silent as he continued to stare at Naruto, he''d started paying closer attention to the brat ever since he first entered his mindscape and they met for the first time. Kurama knew that Naruto had changed somehow, and it was too sudden to be a natural occurrence.


    "What? Do I have something on my face?" Naruto asked. He then began touching his face to make sure nothing was there.


    "Naruto." Kurama growled.


    "Yes?" Naruto answered.


    "What happened to you? you''re different now." Kurama asked.


    Naruto grinned and thought for a moment. Then he replied. "Nothing has happened to me, I''m perfectly fine, and if I''ve changed so much, maybe you weren''t paying close enough attention then."


    Kurama became irritated after Naruto''s comment. But there wasn''t anything that he could do while stuck inside this damned cage. So he could only narrow his eyes in anger. Naruto just continued to grin and laugh like an idiot. He enjoyed spending time with Kurama, even if this was the past version who was still bent on destruction. Nonetheless, he enjoyed the company of his soon to be friend.


    "Hey, hey, someday, you and I are going to be friends. Just sit tight until then alright?" Naruto said.


    Kurama just looked down at him silently. He was reminded of his past when he saw Naruto. He then turned around and faced away from the cage doors.


    Naruto grinned as he stood up.


    "Well, I''ll see you around!" He shouted. Then he turned and left.


    Kurama just ignored him as was leaving.


    Naruto opened his eyes slowly, he then groaned because of how sore his body felt. He sat up and stretched and looked at his surroundings. Hmm? Where am I? Am I at the hospital? He thought. Suddenly, the door opened and in walked Sakura, Shikamaru, Choji, Sasuke, and Kakashi on crutches. They all blinked as they stared at each other. Suddenly, Sakura screamed and ran at Naruto and grabbed him. Then, while shaking him, began to speak.


    "Na-ru-to! What kind of training have you been doing?! Don''t scare us like that!"


    Naruto had swirls in his eyes as he was shook around. While Kakashi and the others could only facepalm in disbelief.


    "Calm down Sakura, you''re only going to make Naruto''s injuries worse." Kakashi said, trying to persuade Sakura.


    She stopped shaking Naruto so much and put him back down. Then the group gathered around Naruto''s bed and looked at him.


    "So, Naruto, what did you do before yesterday''s morning exercise?" Kakashi asked.


    In the back of Kakashi''s mind, he couldn''t help but cry, not only did he lose against Naruto, but he lost to a Naruto that was already exhausted. Just how worse would it have been had Naruto been in top condition. He could only shake his head and sigh at the thought. But he still was curious about the kind of training that pushed Naruto so much.


    "It was nothing too serious, Naruto began, I was just practicing my chakra control since it was feeling off lately, then I created some clones to spar against, and I also had trained to master the rasengan I used against you Kakashi-sensei."


    Kakashi looked wide eyed at Naruto, he did all that at night and still completed the survival training afterwards. Naruto''s stamina was unbelievable, and to top if off, according to Naruto, he had mastered the rasengan in less than a day.


    "Well, why don''t we let Naruto get some rest. How about you guys give him some space?" Kakashi suggested.


    The group then left, leaving Naruto alone with Kakashi. Naruto looked over wondering what Kakashi was up to.


    "Naruto, you''re currently hiding something, I can tell that much. So I won''t ask you how you learned the rasengan. But, do you know who created the technique?" Kakashi asked.


    Naruto gave Kakashi a deep look before grinning. "It was the fourth''s technique!"


    Kakashi smiled back towards Naruto.


    "I heard about your injuries, from now on, I don''t want you training alone." Kakashi said.


    Naruto looked conflicted when he heard Kakashi say that. He knew he meant well, but Naruto couldn''t stop his training just because of his injuries. Kakashi also noticed Naruto''s conflicted expression.


    "I''m not saying you have to stop your training, someone else just has to be with you whenever you do train." Kakashi mentioned.


    "But who can I train with Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, he really couldn''t think of anyone really suitable, unless they were a jonin. Naruto particularly wanted to train with Guy and Kakashi. Guy could really help improve Naruto''s taijutsu, while Kakashi would be a great help when it came to helping him learn new ninjutsu.


    "Well, I was thinking I''d personally oversee your training. While you guys did win, I had held back quite a bit, but I guess I did underestimate you guys a little too much." Kakashi smiled.


    Naruto looked up surprised, he hadn''t expected Kakashi to help him with training. But he couldn''t have been happier, Kakashi had been as much a father figure towards Naruto as he grew up as Jiraiya was later on. Back when he did the chuunin exams, he had always wanted Kakashi to train him, but things hadn''t gone as he wanted. But now, he had a chance to get that wish he had as a kid.


    "You mean it Kakashi-sensei?!" Naruto exclaimed.


    "Heh, of course. Afterall, I felt like I learned a lot myself from you Naruto." Kakashi smiled back.


    "When can we start training!?" Naruto asked excitedly.


    "Calm down Naruto, lets both recover first and get out of the hospital, then we can begin training." Kakashi responded.


    Naruto nodded his head, he really couldn''t wait for it.


    "Alright Kakashi-sensei, it''s a promise!" Naruto said sticking his fist out towards Kakashi.


    Kakashi looked down and smiled. He then waved goodbye and left. When he opened the door, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Choji fell in as they had been listening through the door.


    Sakura smiled sheepishly, but Kakashi didn''t mind them eavesdropping.


    "Later." He said, leaving the group behind.


    Sakura then bombarded Naruto with questions on what was going on. She wouldn''t stop bothering him until he finally answered all of her questions. After she was finally satisfied, she left, leaving Shikamaru and Choji.


    Naruto looked up at Shikamaru and smiled. "Thanks Shikamaru, you really are a good guy!"


    Shikamaru just scratched his head. "Nah, it just would''ve been a drag to leave you there."


    Choji just grinned as he ate his chips.


    "Well, get better soon man." Shikamaru said as he waved goodbye.


    "Hey shikamaru!" Naruto called out.


    "Hmm?"


    "Let''s play some shogi some time!" Naruto said grinning.


    Shikamaru smiled to himself as he kept walking out. "I''m good, you wouldn''t make much of a challenge for me."


    Choji followed after Shikamaru, after leaving a bag of chips for Naruto. After the two left Naruto just grinned as he layed back down. He looked at the ceiling and vowed to himself, that he really was going to change the future. He already decided it, but this time he promised himself, and he would never break a promise he made.

 6 Chapter 6: Kakashis Training! Dynamic appearance!

    Naruto was confined to the hospital for only a day, baffling the doctors. They had kept him back for several hours, checking, double checking, and triple checking everything. Instead of feeling like the doctors were making sure he was fine, Naruto thought it felt more like they were trying to find a reason to keep him longer. But after not being able to find anything wrong, the head doctor reluctantly released Naruto from the hospital. Kakashi was released the following day, making a complete recovery from his injuries.


    Soon, all of team 7 had gathered in order to celebrate, and they went to Ichiraku''s after Naruto kept begging for it. The group walked into the shop to see Teuchi, and his daughter Ayame hard at work.


    "Welcome! Have a seat, we''ll be right with you." Ayame called out.


    Team 7 each took a seat with Kakashi at the end, followed by Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. After ordering their food, they waited for it to be prepared.


    "Hey, hey, Kakashi-sensei, when will we start training?" Naruto asked.


    "Calm down Naruto, we''ve only just sat down to eat. Let''s enjoy the meal first." Kakashi replied.


    Naruto couldn''t help but sulk a bit, he was really looking forward to training with Kakashi. Seeing this, Kakashi couldn''t help but smile. This part of Naruto reminded him of his friend Obito in the past.


    Soon, their meal arrived and they began eating.


    "Itadakimasu!" Naruto said loudly, then he began slurping up his ramen.


    Sakura and Sasuke seemed annoyed by Naruto''s way of eating, while Kakashi only looked amused. Kakashi couldn''t help but wonder if this was how Minato felt when he trained him, Obito, and Rin.


    "You know, there''s somewhere I wanna take you guys after this." Kakashi said suddenly, making the trio look at him.


    "What is it sensei?" Sakura asked.


    "It''s a surprise." Kakashi answered.


    After the group finished eating, Kakashi lead them to the spot, and waiting there was a cameraman and a camera on a tripod.


    "Since you guys passed, I thought it would be nice to take a picture as a team together." Kakashi explained.


    Both Naruto and Sakura seemed excited about it, but both had different reasons for it. While Sasuke seemed indifferent. Soon, Kakashi had everyone in position, Sakura in front, with Naruto and Sasuke standing behind her, and he stood behind them.


    "Alright, smile everyone" Kakashi said.


    Then he leaned forward and placed a hand on both Naruto''s and Sasuke''s head. Sakura brought both hands up and smiled, while Sasuke saw Naruto looking at him and looked away. Which reminded him of the last time they took this picture. So he decided to go along with it and looked in the opposite direction. The picture was taken, and when Naruto got his copy he saw that it was exactly how it was previously.


    "I figured we could get some training done Naruto, after all, you''ve been asking ever since I got out." Kakashi said.


    Naruto grinned. "Alright!"


    The two then walked to the training field. Once they got there, Kakashi turned and faced Naruto.


    "Alright Naruto, tell me everything you''re capable of doing, as well as what you''re trying to focus on improving. If I don''t know these two things, I won''t be able to help you as effectively" Kakashi said.


    Naruto did a hand salute as he began explaining his abilities. "Currently, the ninjutsu I know is rasengan and shadow clone jutsu. In terms of abilities, I have a large supply of chakra, I can walk up walls and on water using chakra, and I can heal quickly."


    When Naruto thought about it, he really didn''t have many techniques, it was just that he applied them in many various ways, altering them enough to suit his needs. This was something he hoped to change, in this lifetime.


    Naruto, thought about what he wanted to improve, and it was mainly his taijutsu if he was being honest. But he also hoped to improve his ninjutsu as well, and while he never was good at it, he should probably also learn some genjutsu. After a minute or so, he nodded his head, coming to a decision.


    "I think I should focus on taijutsu, but I also would like lessons on genjutsu and ninjutsu as well." Naruto said.


    Kakashi nodded his head and contemplated for a moment. While he could certainly help Naruto improve in all areas, he wasn''t the best one suited to learning taijutsu. Looks like I''ll have to get his help then, Kakashi thought. Then he looked back up at Naruto.


    "Alright Naruto, we will begin training in taijutsu, but we will place some restrictions on our selves. First, no use of any technique besides taijutsu, so no ninjutsu or genjutsu will be used. We will allow the use of ninja tools, but none that require chakra to use." Kakashi explained.


    Naruto nodded his head as he listened to the rules.


    "After two hours of taijutsu training, we will switch to learning ninjutsu, and after an hour of that, I''ll give you a lesson on genjutsu." Kakashi finished.


    Naruto slammed his fist into the palm of his hand as he was raring to go.


    Kakashi smiled as he got into position to start training.


    "Alright, when I say begin, we''ll start." Kakashi explained.


    "Got it!" Naruto shouted as he got ready as well.


    The wind blew between the two, kicking up leaves into the air. The two stared at each other as the tension built up.


    "Be-"


    "Kaaakaaashiiii! My eternal rival!!"


    Just as Kakashi was going to say begin, he was interrupted by a loud shout. When Naruto and Kakashi turned to see the source of the shout, they could only see a cloud of dust rising into the air. However, the dust cloud was steadily moving closer towards them. Soon, Naruto was able to make out the figure, while the two had already guessed who it was based on the shout.


    Once the dust cloud had arrived between the two, all they saw was a figure up high in the air performing a somersault before landing in front of Kakashi. The figure gave a shining smile as he raised a thumbs up to Kakashi.


    Kakashi sighed as he greeted the figure. "Hey Guy, what do you need?"


    "Kakashi my rival, are you prepared for our rematch!?!" Guy asked.


    Kakashi looked at guy before putting hit hands up. "Same rules as before?"


    "Of course!!" Guy responded.


    "Rock!"


    "Paper!"


    "Scissors!"


    Kakashi held out scissors as Guy held out paper. Guy then began to grind his teeth together.


    "Looks like you win this time Kakashi!" Guy shouted.


    Then guy jumped onto his hands and started to leave when Kakashi called out to him.


    "Hey Guy, could I ask a favor from you?"


    Guy immediately jumped to his feet with stars in his eyes.


    "What is it that you need? My eternal rival!" Guy asked enthusiastically.


    "Well, I''m training my student in taijutsu and I thought you could help us out with that." Kakashi said.


    "Say no more Kakashi! When it comes to taijutsu, The Leaf''s Green Beast is the one to ask!" Guy said excitedly.


    "Now, where is this student of yours?!" Guy asked looking around.


    "He''s right behind you" Kakashi pointed at Naruto who was just standing enjoying the show.


    Guy spun on his heels as he faced Naruto, then he walked up and began inspecting Naruto from all angles.


    "Alright, what''s your name?" Guy asked.


    "Uzumaki Naruto!"Naruto answered.


    "Haha, I like your spirit, alright Kakashi, how do you want to proceed?" Guy asked.


    "I felt it would be best if you and I teamed up against Naruto, and continuously raise the difficulty as we fought." Kakashi explained.


    "Hey Kakashi, isn''t that too much?" Guy asked with a serious tone.


    "Guy, he''s my student, trust me." Kakashi said smiling.


    "Alright, I''ll go along with you on this, but if I think it''s too much, I''m stopping it." Guy said.


    "You''ll see." Kakashi said smiling.


    Then Guy stood next to Kakashi and got into his fighting stance. There was a moment of silence as the two jonin concentrated on Naruto.


    "Begin!" Kakashi stated.


    Then the three of them vanished from their standing positions and clashed in the middle. Guy had done an overhead kick, aiming for Naruto''s head, while Kakashi had pulled out a kunai and went to slash at Naruto''s neck. Naruto had blocked Guy''s kick by placing his arm right above his head as well kicked the kunai out of Kakashi''s hand before spinning. He then grabbed Guy''s leg and threw him while kicking Kakashi with his other foot in that same second. Kakashi jumped back avoiding the kick while throwing several shurikens at Naruto, who pulled out a kunai and deflected them as he jumped backwards.


    Guy flipped in midair after he was thrown and recovered, then went back next to Kakashi.


    "I told you Guy." Kakashi said in a slightly teasing manner.


    "I see, indeed, my concern for your student was needless." Guy stated.


    He then took on a more serious look. Naruto grinned at the two as he prepared himself for the next clash. He then jumped forward and ran towards the two, throwing shurikens at Guy, who dodged out of the way. Naruto then tried to leg sweep Kakashi, but failed as Kakashi jumped above the leg sweep. Naruto flipped backwards landing on his palms and pushed himself away from Kakashi who tried drop kicking him.


    Naruto realized that without his ninjutsu, beating Kakashi and Guy together was a nothing more than a dream to the current him. So he threw down a smoke bomb and hid in the nearby trees.


    Guy jumped towards Kakashi and went back to back.


    "Your student is pretty good Kakashi, he''s already stronger than the average chuunin, and he was clever enough to realize that the current situation was unfavorable to him." Guy commented.


    "Agreed, but I don''t think it''s quite over just yet." Kakashi replied.


    The two waited while checking out their surroundings. Then, shurikens came flying out of the trees towards them. Kakashi pulled out his kunai and deflected them while Guy charged forward and kicked the tree down.


    "Leaf Hurricane!" Guy shouted.


    Naruto jumped down towards Guy and kicked at him. Which guy only brought his hands up, and grabbed Naruto''s leg and flipped him over as he threw him. Naruto somersaulted through the air before landing on his feet and dashed to face Guy again. All the while, Kakashi was observing and analyzing Naruto''s fighting style and technique.


    Naruto punched at Guy before kicking at his head. Guy simply blocked each punch or kick Naruto threw at him.


    "Haha! That''s the spirit! Come at me with the power of Youth!!" Guy shouted gleefully.


    The two continued to engage each other. But nothing Naruto did seem to faze Guy at all. However, Naruto expected this to be the outcome. Guy had always been a master of taijutsu, and when he unleashed the eighth gate, he had almost killed Madara in his previous life. But as they fought, Naruto was slowly started to refine his own technique and was able to catch Guy off guard and get a kick in at his side knocking the wind out of him. Guy then jumped backwards to catch his breath.


    But before Naruto could do anything else, Kakashi appeared in front and engaged him in hand to hand combat. As they fought, Kakashi had pulled out a hidden kunai and slashed at Naruto who dodged by a hair''s breathe. Naruto then did a roundhouse kick, and kicked Kakashi''s hand, causing him to drop his kunai as Naruto rushed him and punched towards his gut. Kakashi then grabbed Naruto''s arm and threw him over his shoulder.


    Naruto coughed out spit as he landed on the ground, then he picked himself back up as he breathed hard. Facing both Kakashi and Guy was really way too hard, he thought. Then he grit his teeth and went back into the fray against Kakashi. Then, Naruto ducked as Guy kicked above him where his head used to be. Naruto then found himself engaged in combat with the two jonin at once and was pushed into the defensive. He dodged a kick thrown at him but was then punched in the gut. He blocked a punch, but was then kicked in the back. Eventually his guard fell and Kakashi landed two jabs in his stomach, then Guy came up and kicked him into the air before jumping above him amd drop kicking him back into the ground.


    Naruto landed with a heavy thud, and was laying on the ground still. Kakashi watched Naruto without blinking. Then Guy came up behind him and patted his shoulder.


    "Your student was impressive to last as long as he did against us. But we clearly pushed too hard, let''s bring him to the hospital." Guy suggested.


    However, what Kakashi said next surprised Guy.


    "No, just wait." Kakashi continued to stare at Naruto.


    "Kakashi, I understand you have high expectations for him, but this is too much, let''s just bring Naruto ba-" Guy stopped speaking as his eyes widened.


    "D...don''t stop...I...I can still...keep going." Naruto panted as he slowly stood up.


    He was bruised all over and he was shaking on his feet. But the look in his eye was still brimming with determination and fire.


    Guy was silent as he watched Naruto pull himself up, he was reminded of Lee, his own disciple who would never quit or give up. Then he looked over at Kakashi and saw a similar resolution in Kakashi''s eye. Guy''s eyes filled with tears as he thought to himself. Lee, your sensei almost shamed you, I was going to give up on someone who hadn''t given up. I''m a failure as a sensei!!


    "Ooowwoooaaahhh!! Uzumaki Naruto, I shall meet your determination with my own!! We shall burn with the power of youth!!" Guy shouted.


    He then prepared his stance, and Kakashi also got ready as well. Naruto shakily stood on his feet. He then ran towards the jonin. How did he get as far as he had? It was all guts, he thought. He threw a punch but got hit in the stomach. Guts is how he got through every fight! He swung a kick at Kakashi and got kicked in the head as well. He stumbled, but before falling completely, he grit his teeth and stood up and threw another punch. Guts, he thought, guts, guts, guts, guts! He threw punch after punch, kick after kick, all while disregarding his defense. He was then kicked in the stomach by both jonin and sent flying, his back hit a tree and he finally began falling.


    However, before he fell onto the ground, Kakashi appeared below him, causing him to land on Kakashi''s back.


    "You did well Naruto, now get some rest." Kakashi said smiling at a passed out Naruto.


    Kakashi then looked up at Guy. "Thanks for the help Guy"


    Guy was crying as he watched the beautiful scene between sensei and student. He brought his arm up to his eyes. "No need to thank me, my rival, I''m always happy to help!!" He shouted while sobbing. Then he ran away while shouting Lee. Leaving Kakashi behind with Naruto.


    Kakashi smiled at Guy''s departing figure and stood up. He then began carrying Naruto back to his apartment. Kakashi thought back to the time he spent with Obito, and how Obito would never give up. He sighed as he thought about many things. He then glanced back at Naruto''s sleeping face. Someday, Naruto, he thought, someday, you''ll be Hokage, and I''ll be there watching every step you take towards that goal. Kakashi then decided that he was going to help Naruto achieve his dream, he was determined to see it happen.


    Right when he reached Naruto''s apartment, he felt Naruto shift on his back.


    "Awake already?" Kakashi asked.


    Naruto grinned. "Yup!"


    Kakashi smiled back. "You did well during today''s training, tomorrow morning, we''ll begin at 5 before the others show up."


    Naruto did a hand salute as he nodded. "Roger!" He grinned.


    After Kakashi left, Naruto went to his bed and laid down. His whole body was still sore from before, but he clenched his fist tightly. He may have a long way to go, but he was definitely going to become stronger. He then changed and went to sleep, eager for the next morning.

 7 Chapter 7: Surprise! Naruto is being stalked?!

    Naruto woke up at 4 in the morning and had begun getting ready to go train with Kakashi. Instead of wearing his usual orange jumpsuit, he pit on a pair of black pants and a white shirt with an orange short sleeve hoodie. He then out on his sandals, and wrapped his kunai pouch around his leg. He then grabbed his forehead protector and put it on before leaving his apartment.


    He began running, while jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Soon, Naruto reached the training grounds, and to Naruto''s surprise, Kakashi was waiting for him. He had half expected Kakashi to not be there considering his habit of never showing up on time.


    "Yo." Kakashi greeted.


    "Hey Kakashi-sensei, didn''t expect you to be on time." Naruto grinned.


    Kakashi only smiled lightly before putting his book away.


    "Ready?" Kakashi asked.


    "Yup!" Naruto responded.


    The two began engaging in light sparing, Kakashi would, from time to time, point out Naruto''s weaknesses. After a half hour, Kakashi decided, they''d done enough taijutsu training for now, so he began moving onto ninjutsu training.


    Then he pulled out a piece of paper and gave it to Naruto, who took it and held it up.


    "This is chakra paper, all you have to do is pour your chakra into it, and it will tell you what type of element affinities you have." Kakashi explained.


    Even though Naruto already knew what chakra paper was he still nodded his hand to show that he understood. The he poured his chakra into the paper, and saw that it split in two. Though, Naruto already expected it to do that.


    "Wind type, that''s a pretty good element for increasing the sharpness of your attacks." Kakashi said.


    Naruto nodded, he wondered what Kakashi had in store for his training.


    "Alright, we''ll start by having you learn how to implement your wind nature into your existing attacks and techniques, and later, I''ll pick up some wind style ninjutsu that would suit your combat style for you to learn." Kakashi explained.


    "So should I just add wind nature to my attacks with kunais and shurikens?" Naruto asked.


    "There''s that, but I was also thinking you could try combing it into your other ninjutsu." Kakashi said.


    Naruto looked up, was Kakashi about to try and teach him the rasenshuriken? Naruto wondered.


    "While, I have a few ideas, I thought we could first try to have you combine your wind element with your shadow clones." Kakashi said.


    Naruto looked surprised, he hadn''t thought of that.


    "What do you mean?" He asked.


    "Take me for example" Kakashi said.


    Then he created a shadow clone.


    Naruto did, and as soon as the shuriken hit the clone, instead of disappearing like a normal shadow clone, it changed into lightning and electrocuted the shuriken, charring it.


    "Woah! That''s awesome!" Naruto exclaimed.


    "What would adding wind nature to a shadow clone do?" He asked.


    "Well, if my thinking is correct, it should create an air explosion upon impact, which would knock projectiles away and send someone flying if they hit the clone. Which would help you in catching someone off guard in combat. The drawback however is that the chakra doesn''t come back to you after the clone is defeated." Kakashi explained.


    Naruto nodded and thought, he wasn''t entirely sure if he could pull it off. He had needed to create another clone to focus on adding the wind nature to his rasenshuriken before.


    Kakashi saw how Naruto looked troubled, so he stepped towards him and placed his hand on his head. Naruto looked up to see a smiling Kakashi.


    "Don''t worry about getting it right away, but I believe you''ll be able to master this." Kakashi said.


    Naruto looked down and grinned.


    "Right!" Naruto said.


    He then began concentrating on his chakra and changing its nature to wind. Then he created a shadow clone and threw a shuriken at it, only to see it disappear in smoke.


    "Damn it!" Naruto cried out.


    "Now, now, Naruto, it''s only your first attempt, how about you practice coating your weapons in wind nature so you get a feel for it." Kakashi suggested.


    Naruto nodded and began pouring his chakra into his kunai and coating it. At first, Naruto was able to see a cloak of chakra forming around the kunai, but it wasn''t sharp how the wind nature would make it. So he began concentrating on making the chakra sharper.


    Slowly, the chakra started to sharpen around the blade. Then he threw the kunai at a neaby boulder and the blade went through it and pierced the tree behind it.


    Kakashi looked impressed as it was pretty early on in Naruto''s training. But he noted down how long it took Naruto to mold his chakra like that.


    "Hey Naruto, why don''t you create some shadow clones to help you. Because I want you to be able to do what you just did in a split second. The shadow clones will be able to help you get used to the feeling." Kakashi commented.


    Naruto nodded as he created 100 clones. He then started to concentrate on molding his chakra correctly as quickly as possible.


    "Hey, Naruto, I thought you could only create 20 clones." Kakashi asked wide eyed.


    He''d heard about what Naruto had said from Sasuke and Sakura when he asked them how they planned everything. According to them Naruto said he could only create 20 clones.


    "Oh this? I was just giving them a number that I felt wouldn''t shock them too badly." Naruto said laughing.


    Kakashi shook his head and sighed. He knew why Naruto had such a large supply of chakra, but he still couldn''t help feeling a little jealous. Must be nice to have so much chakra available, he thought. Then he went back to watching Naruto''s performance.


    After 20 minutes, Naruto was able to mold his chakra around the kunai within a second and it''s penetrating abilities had also gone up as well.


    Then Kakashi clapped his hands together, bringing Naruto''s attention towards him.


    "Alright, that''s enough training for now Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura will be here soon." Kakashi said.


    Naruto nodded and released all his clones, then he sat down on the ground and waited. He looked up towars the sky and watched the clouds pass by. All the while, a shadowy figure lay hinden behind some bushes watching him.


    Soon, Sakura and Sasuke arrived and were surprised to see Kakashi and Naruto already here. While Naruto was never late, he usually wasn''t the first one there. Let alone Kakashi, who was always hours late.


    "Yo." Kakashi greeted.


    Naruto sat back up and waved at the two who showed up.


    "Alright, so for today, I''m going to have you guys match up and spar with each other. Each person will go twice, once against each member of the team." Kakashi instructed.


    The three nodded their heads. While Naruto and Sasuke were looking forward to this, Sakura was dreading it. There was no way she could go up against Sasuke she thought.


    "Naruto, you and Sasuke can go first." Kakashi said.


    "Right!" Naruto yelled.


    Sasuke just nodded his head and the two faced off against each other.


    Kakashi stood between the two and made sure each of them were ready.


    "Begin!" He commanded.


    Sasuke lunged towards Naruto and threw a kick towards his head. Naruto saw the kick and dodged it by bringing his head back, then he grabbed Sasuke''s leg and threw him. Then, Naruto created two clones that ran over and pinned Sasuke to the ground.


    "Match goes to Naruto." Kakashi stated.


    Sasuke looked at the ground as he grit his teeth together. He lost, he actually lost to Naruto, and it wasn''t even close. He was thies years number 1 rookie, and while he never really rook it seriously, it meant that no one out of the recent graduates should have been able to beat him.


    Naruto dispersed his clones and Sasuke got to his feet. He then walked over to Naruto and grabbed him by his shirt.


    "I want a rematch!" Sasuke said staring at him.


    Naruto looked Sasuke in the eye, then he looked over at Kakashi, who only shrugged his shoulders. Naruto then grabbed Sasuke''s wrist and forced his hand off his shirt.


    "Okay." Naruto said.


    The two then seperated and faced each other. Kakashi walked in between them and raised his hand up. Then he swung his arm down.


    "Begin!" Kakashi said.


    This time, Sasuke didn''t rush Naruto, instead. he brought his hands together and weaved the signs to use the fireball jutsu. Then he spewed the fireball towards Naruto, causing him to dodge by running to the sides. Then Sasuke threw several shurikens at Naruto. Naruto created a shadow clone that tossed him up into the air. He created two more clones then he threw them at Sasuke.


    Sasuke threw two kunais at the clones and impaled one of them while the other deflected it. The two then clashed, however, Sasuke discoveres that his kunai was cut in two while Naruto''s clone held up a chakra coated kunai at Sasuke''s throat.


    "Match goes to Naruto." Kakashi announced.


    Sasuke stared at the ground in frustration while Naruto looked conflicted in his thoughts. Kakashi could only sigh in his head. He then looked over at Sakura who didn''t seem to know what to do. While she had wanted to cheer for Sasuke and didn''t want him to lose, she couldn''t argue with what she saw. Over the past couple of days, she had also changed her opinion of Naruto, he wasn''t the same screwup he was back in the academy. She wondered if Naruto had always been like this and he just kept it hidden for some reason. But she couldn''t think of any reason why.


    The Naruto now was a lot more mature, while still remaining cheerful. He also seemed a lot more intelligent then how he was back in the academy. Comparing the two versions of Naruto in her head was like day and night. But truthfully, she had never really gotten to know Naruto before now, so she couldn''t really say how he was. So maybe she had just misjudged him, and same as the rest of the class.


    "Alright, I think that''s enough for now. Why don''t we come back tomorrow." Kakashi said, snapping everyone out of their thoughts.


    They all agreed, and went their seperate ways. Naruto was walking down a empty street on his way back when he noticed something odd. There was someone holding a large piece kf cloth, painted like the fence. But it was held sideways, and you could make out the somebodies head behind it as well. It was an awful excuse of disguise. He then decided to just keep walking past it, but discovered that it was following him.


    He then slammed his foot down and spun around, pointing at the disguise.


    "Alright, cut the act, I know you''re behind there, now what do you want?!" He yelled.


    "Heheheh, as expected of my rival. You saw through my disguise." The figure said.


    "No, anyone would''ve seen through that." Naruto commented.


    "Behold, it is I, Konohamaru! Grandson of the third-" Konohamaru then stepped on his long scarf and tripped, falling face flat on the ground.


    He then slowly got up, resisting the urge to cry.


    Naruto sighed as he face palmed as he watched the scene unfold.

 8 Chapter 8: Konohamarus Declaration of War! Evening Showdown!

    Naruto faced Konohamaru and waited for him to gather himself together.


    "Uh, are you okay?" Naruto asked.


    "Y-Yes, I''m perfectly fine!" Konohamaru quickly responded.


    "Okay, so what do you want?" Naruto asked.


    "I''m here to challenge you, winner becomes the boss. and the loser has to do whatever they say!!" Konohamaru declared.


    "No thanks. I''m busy right now, maybe some other time Konohamaru." Naruto said, waving goodbye as he turned around.


    "Wait, wait, wait, wait!!" Konohamaru yelled as he ran in front of Naruto and spread his arms out blocking his path.


    "You have to accept my challenge, we''re rivals, so you have to accept!" Konohamaru demanded.


    Naruto sighed inwardly, as he contemplated, he had to be training constantly, but he knew Konohamaru wouldn''t leave him alone. Then he got an idea.


    "Alright Konohamaru, I accept your challenge, but I''ll decide when and where we will have our match!" Naruto announced.


    "Really?!" Konohamaru asked with stars in his eyes.


    "Of course, I never break a promise, that is my nindo." Naruto said grinning.


    "Okay, so where are we having our match?" Konohamaru asked?


    "Tonight, at the training fields." Naruto decided.


    "Alright, prepare to lose Naruto!!" Konohamaru said.


    "HONORABLE GRANDSON!!" Someone shouted.


    "Geh, it''s Ebisu-sensei!" Konohamaru cringed.


    "Sorry Naruto, I''ve gotta go." Konohamaru said before sprinting away in the opposite direction.


    Ebisu ran after Konohamaru, gaining on him, while Naruto just watched the two run off into the distance unbothered by it all. He then stretched and began walking again until he reached a weapon shop and walked in. He heard the store clerk greet him and he greeted back before browsing the shelves.


    He stocked up on kunais, shurikens, smoke bombs, paper bombs, and he bought some weapon summoning scrolls. He then just started looking at all the different weapons around. He thought about getting a weapon with longer reach, since he felt his reach wasn''t far enough. He was thinking about getting a bo staff, or possibly a ninjato. But he wasn''t able to decide between the two, so he chose to come back another time.


    He then went back to his apartment and put away his newly bought equipment. After finishing taking care of things in his apartment, he went out to the woods to train some more.


    Naruto trained late into the evening and was out of breath. But he had begun to see results from his training. One more time, he thought.


    <Wind release: Shadow Clone Jutsu>


    A single shadow clone appeared in front of Naruto. Then he jumped back and threw a kunai at the clone. Once the kunai pierced the clone, instead of dispersing into smoke, it became transparent before exploding out into what could be considered a microburst.


    Naruto hadn''t jumped away far enough and was thrown backwards and hit a tree hard. The trees near the clone had been uprooted and tossed away from the point of impact. The kunai had dissapeared from sight as it was sent flying in a random direction.


    Naruto slowly dragged himself to his feet and broke into a huge grin. He finally got the correct ratio down, not enough wind nature, and the clone would have just turned into a breeze, whereas too much and the clone would have popped like a balloon when it was defeated. All the energy from the explosion would dissipate too quickly before doing any real damage.


    But with this ratio he used, he was able to create the right kind of force he was looking for. He looked up towards the sky and saw how dark it was getting. He knew that Konohamaru would show up at the training ground not too long from now. So he dusted himself off and headed to the meeting spot.


    He wasn''t entirely sure what Konohamaru would challenge him in, but whatever it was, Naruto was sure he could come out on top.


    After he arrived, he did some basic stretching as he waited for Konohamaru to show up. Naruto remembered the times he spent with Konohamaru in his previous life. How he taught Konohamaru the Sexy transformation jutsu and the rasengan. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how bignof an influence he had become towards Konohamaru.


    After a little while, Konohamaru made his appearance.


    "It''s good that you didn''t run away Naruto!" Konohamaru declared as he pointed his finger at him.


    "Of course, I always keep my word." Naruto grinned.


    "Today, we''re going to fight it out, until the other gives up or can''t fight anymore. Got it?" Konohamaru said.


    Naruto nodded his head. "Sounds good to me Konohamaru."


    The two faced each other as they got ready to fight.


    "Whenever you''re ready Konohamaru!" Naruto said.


    Konohamaru nodded as he ran towards Naruto and threw a punch. Naruto simply evaded the attack, and grabbing Konohamaru, threw him over his shoulder. Then he took a step back and waited for Konohamaru to get back up. After getting up, Konohamaru threw two shurikens at Naruto, who threw two back deflecting them. Konohamaru grit his teeth together in frustration as he charged again, jumping up and kicking at Naruto''s head. Naruto ducked backwards, and while flipping, kicked Konohamaru upwards.


    Once again, Naruto stood and waited for Konohamaru to get back up after he landed on the ground. While he didn''t have anything against Konohamaru, he felt he needed to show the differences between their skills. He had to make Konohamaru acknowledge him, because to Naruto, Konohamaru was like a little brother to him.


    Konohamaru had gotten back up again and continued to charge towards Naruto, each time getting knocked down over and over.


    "Why do you keep getting back up?" Naruto asked.


    "Because, you once told me, that there are no shortcuts, to becoming hokage, and if I can''t beat you. Then I can''t become hokage before you." Konohamaru answered.


    Naruto smiled as he thought back to that time as well.


    "Then I''ll start facing you seriously now Konohamaru!" Naruto said as he rushed at Konohamaru.


    Konohamaru flinched as he saw Naruto running at him, but grit his teeth in determination. He had already known that he couldn''t win, and he was getting close to giving up too. But he didn''t want to accept it so easily, and seeing Naruto take him seriously had made him happy. In Konohamaru''s eyes, Naruto was the only one who ever saw him. Everyone else only saw the third hokage''s grandson, and treated him with respect. But it was never because of him, it was because of his grandpa, which is what upset him so much.


    Seeing Naruto treat him like his own person, really made him happy. So despite getting punched in the face, he couldn''t help but smile at the same time. However, after he hit the ground this time, he didn''t have the strength to get back up.


    "Looks like you win Naruto" Konohamaru said.


    "Mhm" Naruto said looking down at him grinning.


    "But at least I gave it my all, and did the best that I could do right?" Konohamaru asked as tears filled his eyes.


    "You sure did" Naruto answered.


    "All my effort wasn''t wasted right?" Konohamaru cried out.


    "Not at all" Naruto affirmed.


    Konohamaru brought his hands up to his eyes as he began crying. He had really wanted to win. But not being able to hurt a lot more than he realized it would.


    "Naruto" Konohamaru cried.


    "Yeah?"


    "Losing is painful" Konohamaru said as tears streaked across his face.


    "Yeah, it is, but it can also drive you to try harder next time so you don''t lose again." Naruto said.


    Konohamaru then looked at Naruto as he spoke.


    "Hey, how about you make a promise with me." Naruto said.


    "What kind of promise." Konohamaru asked.


    "From now on, you''ll never lose to anyone else, and that you''ll train harder. Then, when the time is right, we''ll fight again for hokage!" Naruto answered.


    Konohamaru cried as he smiled. "Okay!"


    Just as the two were enjoying the moment, a figure appeared nearby. Naruto instantly looked over to see who it was.


    "What have you done to the honorable grandson!?!" Ebisu shouted.


    Naruto felt a headache coming on. He really didn''t want to deal with this closet pervert right now.


    "I''ll make you pay!!" Ebisu yelled.


    Ebisu then charged towards Naruto.


    "I don''t have time for this." Naruto sighed.


    <Sexy Transformation Jutsu>


    Naruto transformed into a hot sexy girl right in front of Ebisu.


    "You wouldn''t hurt me, right? E-bi-su-sen-sei" Naruto said in his best sexy voice that he could muster.


    Ebisu instantly halted in place before launching into the sky with blood trailing from his nose. Naruto transformed back and looked at Konohamaru.


    "Sorry Konohamaru, but I''ve gotta go. I''ll see you around sometime. Later!" He called out as he ran off.


    Konohamaru could only stare in shock at what he''d just witnessed. Without even lifting a finger, Naruto had defeated Ebisu. He had to get Naruto to teach him the jutsu he thought. Eventually, Ebisu was able to recover, and he carried Konohamaru to a hospital to get him checked out. However, to his relief, he only had minor injuries, and the biggest thing was that his body was just exhausted. So all Konohamaru needed was rest. Ebisu then vowed that he would find Naruto and give him a peice of his mind. But when he remembered Naruto''s jutsu, he told himself that he would need to plan very carefully.


    Naruto had gone back to his apartment, and got ready for bed. Today had been another busy day for him, but he''d made a lot of progress. He couldn''t wait to start the next day.

 9 Chapter 9: First Mission! Settling grudges.

    Naruto woke early as usual and met up with Kakashi at the training field. After their sparring was finished, Naruto moved onto ninjutsu training. He focused his chakra and created a shadow clone in front of him.


    "Kakashi-sensei, I think we should get back." Naruto suggested.


    Kakashi nodded and the two jumped away until they were 100 meters away. Naruto threw a kunai at the clone and the clone exploded, creating a large crater in the ground. Kakashi was suddenly reminded of when Naruto had used paper bombs wrapped around his clones. He couldn''t help but shudder at the thought. However he was immensely impressed with Naruto''s rapid improvement. There were few individuals who learned and improved as quickly as Naruto did.


    He couldn''t help but think back to the information he was given about Naruto during his academy days. During that time period, Naruto was nothing more than a dunce. So Kakashi couldn''t help but wonder what had caused this drastic change in Naruto. Regardless, he still felt pride at his students progress.


    "Alright Naruto, looks like you''ve mastered combining your wind nature chakra with your shadow clones. Now it''s time to teach you some new jutsus. However, I felt it would be a good idea to have you learn some basic techniques." Kakashi said, bringing Naruto''s attention to him.


    "Why''s that Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.


    "Well, for a few reasons, I''m not saying you can''t handle more advanced jutsus, but the ones you currently possess are limited. So learning a few more techniques will help fill in some gaps." Kakashi explained.


    Naruto nodded his head as he listened.


    "Also, if you don''t have a firm understanding of the basics, then learning more advanced techniques will be a lot more difficult and you could develop flaws as well. So with this in mind, the goal is to strengthen your foundations on which you will master your ninjutsu." Kakashi finished.


    Kakashi then pulled out a few scrolls and handed them to Naruto.


    "These are some basic techniques that you have yet to learn, and I feel theh would prove useful to you. So, tomorrow, I want to see how much you improved on learning these." Kakashi stated.


    Naruto nodded, then looked at the different scrolls. One was the body flicker technique, another one was the wind release, gale palm technique, and the last one was the wind release, great breakthrough technique. Naruto grew excited as he couldn''t wait yo start training with these. However, before he could fo anything else, Kakashi stopped him.


    "Looks like Sakura and Sasuke are here even earlier. We''ll stop training here. After all, we have a mission to do today." Kakashi said smiling.


    "Yo." Kakashi greeted with a smile.


    "Hmph" Sasuke said glaring at Naruto.


    "Good morning, sensei!" Sakura greeted back.


    Naruto looked back at Sasuke, he wasn''t sure what he should say. This Sasuke was still trying to hey revenge on Itachi and would sooner or later go to Orochimaru for power to do so. However, Naruto wanted to figure out a way to make sure that didn''t happen. But he didn''t know how he could do that, maybe if he could prevent Sasuke from getting the curse mark, things would change. He''d have to think some more about it.


    "Alright, now that we''re all here, I have an announcement for everyone, today, team 7 has been issued a D rank mission." Kakashi said. clapping his hands together to get everyone''s attention.


    "What''s the mission?" Sakura asked.


    "It''s a simple task, we will be cleaning the trash out of the drainage system in the village." Kakashi smiled.


    Naruto figured the mission would be something along those lines, but he still couldn''t help feeling bored just from the thought of it.


    "Alright, everyone, let''s get going." Kakashi said as he turned and left.


    The trio followed after him, and when they got to the site, they saw that the whole drainage system was filled with trash. The three of them groaned simultaneous as they saw what they''d be getting into.


    "Thank you so much for your help!" The man who had put in the request said.


    He then handed the group equipment for picking up the trash. Soon, team 7 had begun picking up trash. However, there seemed to be no end of it all, and Naruto had started getting restless.


    "That''s it!" He yelled, then he jumped up and crosses his fingers.


    <Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu>


    Soon, 20 Naruto''s appeared and they all began picking up trash. But even with the extra hands, there still seemed to be no end to the trash.


    "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, what are we doing with the trash we pick up?" Naruto asked.


    Then, Naruto had an idea, maybe he could use this as an opportunity to train. He then pulled out the body flicker technique scroll and looked it over. The technique consisted of pouring chakra into the body and using a burst of speed, travel instantly to another location. The only real limitations on the technique seemed to stem from how much chakra one poured into it and how well they could control it.


    Naruto then focused his chakra amd covered his body in it. Then he burst forward and instantly appeared at the trash drop off sight. He quickly put the trash away, and used the technique to come back.


    With this, he could train and save time on running back and forth. Hours passed by, and eventually, the drainage system qas cleared of all trash. The man thanked them enthusiastically before they left to go report to the Hokage.


    Naruto had been thinking about the body flicker technique, and ways he could use it. Then he remembered the Raikage and how he coated himself in his lightning chakra. Was he really just using the body flicker technique and had just infused his lightning nature into it. Naruto wondered about this, then what if he did the same but with his wind nature? He then began focusing his chakra and changing it to it''s wind nature, then he began covering himself in it. Suddenly, Naruto was surrounded by flowing air currents, and with a burst of wind, he vanished from his spot.


    Sakura and Sasuke stared wide eyed at where he had stood while Kakashi had guessed what had happened. That Naruto, he thought, he really is pretty creative with the techniques he learns. While the group started to walk to the Hokage building again, Naruto qas upside down intangled in some tree branches. He hadn''t expected the sudden increase in speed and distance and had messed up his footing, causing him to end up in that situation.


    Hmmm, need to apply better control over it, after I master this though, it would prove really useful. Then he got another idea, after getting down, he faced a tree. He concentrated his chakra again and coated his arm in the wind nature chakra. Then he opened his arm and lunched the tree, his fist hit the tree and pierced straight through it. Then he pulled his fist back and extended his fingers. He swung his arm horizontally and sliced clean through the tree, causing it to fall over.


    This is pretty deadly, he thought, at this point, he wouldn''t even need a weapon. Then he thought back to the weapon shop and got another idea. So using the body flicker technique he appeared in front of the shop and ran inside. After looking around he found what he was looking for. He saw the bo staff he was interested in previously and grabbed it. After paying for it, he left the store and body flickered back. He held the staff in front of him and concentrated his chakra into coating it. Then he grabbed the staff and pierced at a tree three times. When he finished, he saw three circular holes where the staff had landed. Naruto smiled towards himself.


    Even if he didn''t need a weapon to fight, having one still gave him an advantage. Then he pulled out the other two ninjutsu scrolls he got. One was the gale palm jutsu while the other was the great breakthrough jutsu. After reading them over and understanding the basics, he created several shadow clones to help him practice it.


    He concentrated his wind nature chakra into the palm of his hand before thrust it forward. His first attempt had sent a small blast of air that staggered several clones. Naruto then performed the task several more times until he got used to it.


    "Alright, time to try it out at full strength." He said.


    He then faced a tree and used the technique.


    <Wind release: Gale palm jutsu>


    After he thrust his palm at the tree, the tree bent backwards before snapping in half. Naruto grinned as he had finally gotten the technique down. All that was left now was the great breakthrough jutsu. Once he had it down, he would pravtice and refine each technique until he had them down perfectly. Then he glanced over at his newly acquired bo staff. I should get some training scrolls on the staff, he thought.


    He looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was starting to set. So he decided to call it a day. As he was walking back he saw Sasuke and Sakura walking together silently.


    "Yo, what''s up?" Naruto called out to them.


    "Naruto? Where did you go?" Sakura asked.


    "Just in the woods over by the training field, I had wanted to try out some new ninjutsu I''ve been learning." Naruto replied.


    Then Sakura noticed the bo staff that Naruto was carrying with him.


    "I didn''t know you knew how to use that" She said pointing at the staff.


    "Oh this? I recently got it, I''m going to start learning how to use it. That way I can increase my range in fighting." Naruto said grinning.


    Sakura seemed interested and was about to ask him about it more when she was interrupted by Sasuke.


    "Naruto, I want you to fight me again!" Sasuke said as he glared at Naruto.


    Naruto looked back at Sasuke and was quiet for a moment.


    "No, I won''t fight you again. The results won''t change, even if you''ve been training hard, so have I." He said calmly as he stared back into Sasuke''s eyes.


    Sasuke clicked his tongue as he got even more pissed off at Naruto.


    "But, how about we have a competition." Naruto suggested.


    "A competition?" Sasuke asked.


    "Yeah, whoever wins has to buy the other dinner." Naruto grinned.


    Sasuke stared back at him before shaking his head.


    "I''m not interested, if you won''t fight me then there''s nothing else." Sasuke said as he began to leave.


    "But I haven''t told you what the competition is. It''s a race, we will start at the training field and the goal is at the top of the great stone faces." Naruto explained.


    Sasuke halted his steps.


    "Anything goes in the race, you can try to get in my way, or anything, and whoever wins not only has to but dinner, but will be the team leader whenever Kakashi-sensei isn''t around." Naruto finished.


    Sasuke turned back around and face Naruto.


    "Alright." Sasuke agreed.


    Then the two started walking towards the training field.


    "Oh, hey Sakura, can you be the referee for us?" Naruto asked her.


    "Sure!" She agreed. She didn''t like to see the two of them fight, so having them settle things with a race was for the best in her opinion.


    Once the trio reached the training field, Naruto and Sasuke lined up next to each other.


    "Ready?.....Go!" Sakura called out.


    Naruto and Sasuke took off in a burst of speed. Naruto was busy thinking about how he should win when Sasuke suddenly increased his speed and got in front of him. Then he turned around and threw several shurikens at Naruto. Naruto jumped to the side to dodge and began running on the side of buildings.


    After seeing this, Sasuke grew angry. When did Naruto learn to do that? He wondered. Eventually, Naruto caught back up to Sasuke and decided that he was going to use his wind release: body flicker technique. So he began focusing his chakra. After gathering up enough chakra, he activated the technique and vanished from Sasuke''s sight with a sudden burst of wind.


    Sasuke''s eyes grew wide as he began cursing his stupidity of accepting this race. He''d forgotten about Naruto being able to do that. But nonetheless, he grit his teeth and kept running. Finally he arrived at the top of the stone faces and saw Naruto waiting for him.


    "Looks like I win Sasuke!" Naruto grinned.


    Sasuke say down heavily and was out of breath. He looked down in frustration.


    "You know, I get that you have some goal you need to accomplish, but there''s nothing wrong with asking for help to achieve it." Naruto said allowed, causing Sasuke to look at him.


    "I don''t have any parents, so I''ve had to do most things on my own. But ever since I met Iruka-sensei, and Kakashi-sensei, I''ve started being able to get help from others." Naruto continued.


    "I never knew what it was like growing up with parents, so I can''t say I know exactly how it feels to lose them."


    "But loneliness is a pain that''s terrible to indure, and I wouldn''t want to see you get dragged into it." Naruto said looking at Sasuke.


    Sasuke was quiet and didn''t respond.


    "Man, I''m not good at these kinds of things, so why don''t we forget it." Naruto said jumping up.


    "But don''t forget, you still owe me a dinner!" Naruto yelled back as he left.


    Sasuke was left alone with his thoughts as he remembered the times he had spent with his family. His parents, and his older brother who he loved dearly. But then everything changed on that night, and he had become the last of his clan. He grew angry at the thought, but then remembered Naruto''s words. He replayed them over and over in his head. Then he too got up and left, going back to his house.


    Naruto walked back into his apartment and placed the bo staff down. Then he got changed and sat down at his table. He then got on the floor and started meditating to clear his head. He was still troubled by Sasuke''s decisions. But there wasn''t anything he could do at this time. He then closed his eyes as he sighed out, this was going to be a tough problem.

 10 Chapter 10: Mission time! Journey to the Land of Waves!

    Team 7 had begun to set into a routine as time went on. Naruto and Kakashi would meet up for training at 5, and Sakura and Sasuke would show up at 6. Then the group would conduct teamwork training and formations. During the afternoon, they would get assigned a D rank mission which they would complete by the end of the evening. The missions ranged from weeding, to deliveries, and other such chores.


    On this particular day, the team had been assigned a D rank mission to capture and return a missing target.


    "I''m in position at point A." Naruto said into the receiver around his neck.


    "I''m at point B." Sasuke said as well.


    "I''m at point C." Sakura confirmed.


    "Alright, do you see the target." Kakashi asked.


    "Yes!" The three confirmed.


    "Begin the operation!" Kakashi said.


    The three genin jumped out towards the target. Sakura made a mad dash and tried to grab them. But the target just jumped over her head dodging. Sasuke came flying out from behind several bushes and managed to grab hold of the target. Naruto then came out as well as several of his clones, he had the whole area enclosed to ensure the target wouldn''t escape.


    The target began to then scratch and claw at Sasuke''s face as he held it.


    "Reb ribbon on the ear. The target is the missing cat Tora." Naruto radioed in.


    Sakura dusted herself off as she got up, she couldn''t help but sulk to herself as she was outmaneuvered by a cat.


    Kakashi came out of the woods with his icha icha book in hand.


    "Target captured and confirmed, good job guys. Lets go back to the Hokage now." Kakashi said.


    The three nodded and made their way back.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    After entering the Hokage''s office they returned the cat to lady Shijimi.


    She held Tora close to her as she rubbed her own face on the cat. The trio couldn''t help but notice the look of pure terror on the cats face.


    "Oh my poor Tora, how I''ve missed you so much. Thank you for bringing Tora back to me." Lady Shijimi said before she left the office.


    Naruto couldn''t help but sigh after she left.


    "If I were that cat, I''d run away too." He said allowed.


    Sakura and Sasuke silently agreed while Kakashi and the third Hokage smiled lightly.


    "Ehem." The third Hokage coughed, gathering everyones attention.


    "Excellent work Kakashi, your squad has performed brilliantly these past few weeks. Now I have another D rank mission here for-" The third began.


    After receiving the previous mission, Naruto knew what was coming up, and he had to make sure they got that mission. Even if he had to be rude to do so.


    "Naruto! How dare you address lord third that way!? Do you know why you guys are receiving these missions in the first place?!" Iruke berated.


    "Yes, I do, the missions are assigned to villages to complete in order to acquire funds to maintain them. The missions are then designated with rankings going from D to S rank missions, each with incressing difficulty and importance." Naruto explained.


    Iruka looked surprised when he heard Naruto explain to him about the missions, he hadn''t expected this. Then he looked at Kakashi who only smiled and didn''t seem too shocked.


    "Ehem, that''s enough Iruka, thank you." The third said, gathering everyones attention again.


    "Now Kakashi, I''m not entirely against assigning your team a higher ranked mission, afterall, all of our clients that were assisted by your team had nothing but praise. But I want to hear your opinion. Is your team ready?" The third asked.


    "Lord third, I believe Team 7 to be more than ready for a higher ranked mission." Kakashi said.


    "Alright, well I do have a C rank mission right here, it''s an escort mission-" The third began explaining.


    He stopped when everyone heard knocking at the door.


    "Enter." The third Hokage said.


    The door opened to reveal an old man who was red in the face and reeked of alcohol.


    "Whaatt?! my escorts are these squirts? They''re nust a bunch of brats!" The old man said.


    Naruto grinned as he remembered their first meeting with old man Tazuna.


    "Especially the short one, do you expect me to believe that he''s a ninja!!" Tazuna said as he took a swig from his bottle.


    Naruto stifled a laughter at Tazuna calling one of them short. Then he looked over at Sasuke and Sakura and saw that they were both taller than him. Waitx could he be talking about me?! Naruto thought.


    He then got on his hands and knees as he felt depressed by the thought of being the short one. Wait a second, didn''t he say that he couldn''t believe I was a ninja? Naruto remembered. Then he got up and was about to go punch Tazuna before Kakashi grabbed him and held him back.


    "Why don''t you come over here and say that again you old bastard. I''ll show you what a ninja is!!" Naruto yelled angrily.


    "Calm down Naruto, he''s our client and the one who we will be escorting." Kakashi said.


    Once Naruto had settled down, Kakashi released him then straightened his back.


    "Now, Mr. Tazuna, I promise you, these kids are shinobis, they are more dangerous than you realise. Especially the short one." Kakashi said smiling with a murderous aura around him.


    "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, aren''t you barely holding back your anger as well?" Naruto said as he scratched his head.


    Kakashi couldn''t help being a little peeved, after all, he had been training Naruto personally. So saying that Naruto wasn''t a ninja was a jab at his ability to train people.


    Tazuna realized he''d messed up and nodded his head quickly.


    "Good, we''ll go prepare and meet you at the front gates of the village in an hour." Kakashi smiled.


    "R-right." Tazuna said as he turned and left.


    The thrid Hokage and Iruka sighed to themselves as they witnessed the encounter. Would things be alright? They wondered.


    "Alright, Kakashi, you and your team will be escorting Tazuna back to the land of waves. The rest of your team is dismissed, I''ll give you the details of the rest of the mission" The third said.


    Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke nodded their heads and then left, leaving Kakashi behind in the office.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto was back inside his apartment as he was grabbing his things. He wore his black sandals and a pair of black loose fitted pants with bandages wrapped around his right thigh where he held his kunais in. Then he wore a short sleeve mesh shirt and a white shirt over that. Finally he put on his orange sleeveless hoodie with the Uzumaki symbol on the back. He placed his shuriken pouch around his waist behind him to the right, while he paced another pouch filled with scrolls on his left side. He then grabbed his bo staff and placed it on a scroll. He then formed a hand seal and the bo staff vanished in a puff of smoke. The scroll then had a symbol for staff marked within the center of the circle of seals.


    Naruto placed the scroll in his left pouch and then grabbed his backpack, which he filled with a food, bandages, and other basic supplies. Afterwards, he grabbed his leaf forehead protector and put it on. Once he had everything, he left his apartment and ran towards the village''s front gate.


    Once he arrived, he saw Sasuke, Sakura already there with old man Tazuna. He ran up and greeted them.


    "Yo." Kakashi said as he appeared right in front lf them.


    "Looks like everyone is here and is ready. Before we begin, why don''t we introduce ourselves." Kakashi suggested.


    "Right, I''m Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage!" Naruto grinned.


    "Hah, you Hokage? I''d see pigs fly before seeing a shrimp like you become Hokage." Tazuna laughed.


    It took everything Naruto had not to deck the guy in the face.


    "I''m Tazuna the bridge builder, I''m building a bridge that will save the land of waves." Tazuna said with pride in his eyes.


    "I''m Haruno Sakura" Sakura smiled.


    "Uchiha Sasuke" Sasuke said.


    "And I''m Hatake Kakashi, team 7''s leader." Kakashi smiled.


    "Now then, lets go." Kakashi said, and he lead the group down the path leading away from the village.


    The day was bright out and there wasn''t a cloud in sight.


    "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, are there any ninja in the land of waves?" Sakura asked.


    "No, only hidden villages have ninja, and they are under the control of the Kages of each village. There are five nations and each one has a village, there''s the village hidden in the leaves, which is part of the country of fire. There''s the country of water, with the village hidden in the mist, the country of wind, with the village hidden in the sand. The country of lightning, with the village hidden in the clouds, and then there''s the country of rock, with the village hidden in stone." Kakashi explained.


    "I see, so we should only run into bandits, theives, or wild animals then, right?" Sakura asked again.


    "That''s right. So you don''t have anything to worry about." Kakashi said smiling.


    The group passed a puddle of water on the ground. However, only Kakashi and Naruto paid attention to it while the rest continued walking along.


    "Hey, Mr. Tazuna, why did you say that building your bridge will save the land of waves?" Sakura asked.


    "You see, the land of waves is a poor country, and because of that, there are many things we can''t do. So that''s why I''m building this bridge, it will connect us to trade routes that will save the country from dying." Tazuna explained.


    Sakura nodded her head as she understood the reasoning. But Kakashi felt there was more to the story. While Naruto knew that Tazuna hadn''t told them everything yet. But the group continued to keep walking down the path.


    Once the group had walked away some distance, two heads popped out of the water silently. They then jumped out and began rushing towards the group.


    The two of them wrapped up Kakashi in bladed chains and pulled. Slicing Kakashi up into pieces.


    Seeing Kakashi get killed like that caused Sakura to fall onto the ground and screamed out. Tazuna also looked surprised as he witnessed it. The two ninjas then rushed at Tazuna. Sasuke jumped inbetween the incoming ninjas and Tazuna and kicked them in the head, sending them flying away.


    Naruto gathered his chakra and body flickered behind the one of the ninjas and knocked him out. Seeing their plan fail and his partner get taken down so easily, the other ninja decided to run away. But before he could get away, Kakashi appeared before him and punched him in the gut knocking him out. The ninja then fell to the ground and was surrounded by the group.


    After binding up the two ninjas Kakashi turned and faced the group.


    "Judging by their headbands, they were hidden mist shinobi" Kakashi commented.


    Sakura gulped.


    He sighed as he spoke. "I have a few things to say. First, Sakura, why''d you freeze up? I understand that you thought I was dead, but you left Tazuna completely exposed. If it weren''t for Sasuke, the mission would have ended in failure. Naruto, Sasuke, good job on keeping a clear head in that situation."


    "If you could handle those two ninjas so easily, why''d you let them attack us like that?" Tazuna said angrily.


    Then kakashi turned to face Tazuna with a deadly look in his eyes.


    "Tazuna, while it''s true I could have taken care of them, I needed to see who their target was." Kakashi explained.


    "What do you mean?" Tazuna asked.


    "I mean I needed to know whether they were targeting you, or one of us. If they had been targeting one of us, then it''s our problem and we only dragged you into it, in which case I would have apologized. But instead, they were after you." Kakashi explained.


    "Since those ninjas were after you, it means this is no longer a C rank mission. This is now undoubtedly at least an expensive B rank mission or higher. I think you have some explaining to do." Kakashi said coldly.


    "While I will see a mission completed, my priority is to my team, if any one of them were to die because we lacked vital information, then their deaths would have been on your head." Kakashi finished.


    Tazuna felt sweat drip from his forehead as Kakashi glared at him.


    "I-I can explain" Tazuna said as he breathed out.

 11 Chapter 11: Clash! Demon of the Hidden Mist!

    "I-I can explain." Tazuna said as he breathed out.


    "It''s no longer about whether you can explain it or not." Kakashi said.


    "This mission is beyond us because we were never given proper information so we could prepare. At this point, we would need to return to inform the Hokage." Kakashi stated.


    "That''s right, we haven''t trained enough for missions like these, we''re not ready!" Sakura agreed.


    Speak for yourself, Sasuke thought, I need a good challenge and this mission seems perfect to put my skills to the test! Naruto looked down in thought, he also wanted to continue. He wondered how he could convince everyone to keep going.


    He looked up and saw Kakashi looking at him. Then he thought of something.


    "Wait, hold it Kakashi-sensei, we can''t give up the mission!" Naruto exclaimed.


    "Oh? Why''s that Naruto?" Kakashi asked.


    "It''s because I promised to complete this mission!" Naruto stated.


    "I don''t see how that''s relevant to our situation." Kakashi sighed.


    "It''s my nindo, I''ll never go back on my words and I''ll never give up. I said I would complete this mission and I''ll see it through!" Naruto exclaimed.


    "I see, and are you prepared if Sasuke or Sakura were to die on a mission we weren''t prepared for just because you didn''t want to stop the mission?" Kakashi asked Naruto seriously.


    Naruto just grinned and looked up with determination in his eyes. "I won''t let that happen. How can I become Hokage if I let my friends die on my watch!"


    Kakashi looked at Naruto deeply before smiling.


    "Alright, we''ll continue the mission then." Kakashi said.


    Sasuke smiled to himself, while Sakura groaned. Tazuna just looked at Naruto im surprise.


    "However, Tazuna, when we get to our destination, I need you to explain everything." Kakashi said glaring at Tazuna.


    Tazuna gulped and nodded his head.


    "Good, now let''s move out." Kakashi said.


    The group continued on their way. Kakashi left a clone behind to interrogate the unconscious hidden mist ninja. When they came to, Kakashi had threatened them and interrogated them. But he got nothing from the two as they committed suicide. He sighed yo himself before dispersing, transferring the information back to the original Kakashi.


    Eventually, the group reached the place where they would meet the man that would ferry them across the water.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The waves rocked against the boat as they slowly moved through the fog. The entire group was silent as they made their way. The ferryman had a stern expression and was keeping a constant vigil on their surroundings.


    "The mist is thick, and so far, it seems we haven''t been detected yet." The ferryman said cautiously.


    "Just up ahead is the bridge, soon we''ll reach our destination."


    The group silently admired it with wide eyes. Naruto remembered the first time he saw it and how he couldn''t help but exclaiming out loud. He smiled a bit at the memory and went back to admiring the bridge again.


    "We may not have been detected so far, but I''ll take the route with more vegetation just to be safe. The ferryman said.


    "Alright, thank you." Tazuna replied.


    Kakashi looked over at Tazuna. "Tazuna, now that we have a moment. Why don''t you explain what''s really going on."


    "Right... You see, the man that is after my life is a terrifying man." Tazuna began.


    "Terrifying?" Kakashi asked.


    "He is someone who I''m sure you have heard of as well. A shipping magnate by the name of Gatou!" Tazuna said.


    "What?! Gatou.... as in from the Gatou company?!" Kakashi exclaimed.


    "Who''s Gatou?" Sakura asked.


    "Gatou is one of the world''s richest men. Who on the surface is the chief executive of a shipping company. But beneath it all, he deals in drug-trafficking using gangs and ninjas. He came about a year ago to the Land of Waves. Using his wealth and power, he took complete control of the island''s maritime transportation and shipping." Tazuna continued.


    Naruto thought back to the brief time he encountered Gatou previously, he hated how despicable the man was. Then he turned his attention back to Tazuna as he continued explaining his circumstances.


    "Having control over the seas for an island nation means having control of finance, the government, and everything. But the one thing that could ruin Gatou is the bridge that I am currently building. Tazuna finished.


    "I see, since you''re the one building the bridge, you''ve become a nuisance to Gatou." Sakura said, understanding the situation.


    "Then that means the ninjas from before were hired by Gatou." Sasuke remembered.


    Naruto already knew all of this so he just sat back thinking about how he would change things this time. However, because of this, Sakura and Sasuke thought that Naruto didn''t understand a single thing that was being talked about.


    "So, if you''re under attack by a man this dangerous, why didn''t you come up front about it when you submitted the mission?" Kakashi asked.


    "You see, the Land of Waves, and by extension, it''s people are very poor, we had no money to afford a B rank mission or higher...." Tazuna answered.


    "I understand it if you decide to pull out of this mission, but if you were to do so, then I would die before I make it home. But you don''t need to worry about it" Tazuna started saying.


    Sakura started to feel guilty as Tazuna spoke.


    "But if I were to die, then my grandchild who will turn 8 soon will be sad and cry his heart out."


    "Geh." Sakura and Sasuke exclaimed.


    "Oh, and my daughter will only blame the hidden leaf shinobi for all of her life and grieve in solitude!"


    "But it''s not your fault at all." Tazuna finished.


    Team 7 all looked at each other with a guilty expression.


    "Well, we don''t have a choice, we''ll finish this mission and keep you safe." Kakashi said after scratching his head.


    Tazuna grinned inwardly to himself and thought, I win.


    "Oh, I am most grateful." Tazuna expressed.


    As the group sat in silence the ferryman spoke up once more.


    "We''re almost there."


    The boat sailed forward and soon the group saw a small town built atop the water. They couldn''t help but appreciate the view. Soon they sailed next to a wooden platform where they got off.


    "This is as far as I can take you, take care." The ferryman said.


    "Thanks, you''ve been a big help." Tazuna replied.


    Then they parted ways, and team 7 along with Tazuna continued on.


    Kakashi sighed inwardly as they walked since he knew that whoever came next would be jonin level instead of chuunin like the two ninjas that attacked them previously. The group had entered the woods and were walking down the path. Naruto was thinking about what he should do when Zabuza showed himself as he walked in front. But as he was walking, Sasuke had walked up beside him. Naruto wondered what Sasuke was doing. But as they were walking he and Kakashi noticed something and he threw a kunai at it.


    Sasuke and Sakura freaked out as well as Tazuna and they started berating Naruto about not doing crazy things. But Kakashi went and inspected the area that Naruto threw his kunai at, and found a white snow rabbit.


    A snow rabbit? But why is it''s fur white? It only gets like that during the winter due to little sunlight.... Which means it was raised indoors without sunlight to be used as a substitution....


    Up in the trees a figure was watching Naruto and his group. No wonder the demon brothers couldn''t take out these guys, they wouldn''t be able to. Not with the copy ninja of the hidden lead, Kakashi of the Sharingan, he thought.


    Kakashi looked up towards the trees. Guess they''re already here, huh, he thought.


    Then Kakashi and Naruto noticed something coming at them.


    "Get down!" They both yelled, and every dropped onto the ground as a giant sword spun over their heads and sliced into a tree. Then a figure appeared on top of it.


    It''s him, Naruto thought, Zabuza.


    "Well, well, if it isn''t the rouge ninja of the hidden mist, Momochi Zabuza." Kakashi stated looking up at the figure.


    "I''m honored, for the Kakashi of the sharingan eye to know my name." Zabuza said amused.


    Sharingan? Sasuke thought to himself, so that is what I saw back during the survival training. Sasuke thought back to when they were fighting against Kakashi and saw Kakashi pull up his forehead protector. He had, for an instance, seen the sharingan eye, but he thought he had been mistaken. But now, he knew for sure, he had seen Kakashi with the sharingan eye. But only certain members of the Uchiha possessed the sharingan, and he was the last remaining member, so how did Kakashi have the sharingan?


    "I''m sorry Kakashi, while I would love to test my skills against an opponent such as you, I have a contract to finish. So step aside for a minute would you." Zabuza asked.


    "I''m afraid I can''t do that, my team accepted a mission to protect Mr. Tazuna from harm. So you will have to go through me if you want to touch him." Kakashi replied.


    "Naruto, I leave Tazuna to you, Sasuke, and Sakura. Stay out of this fight." Kakashi commanded.


    The three of them nodded and got into a formation around Tazuna.


    Mist slowly started forming around the area they were in.


    Zabuza grinned as he pulled his sword out of the tree and landed on the water nearby.


    "He''s over there on the water!" Sakura exclaimed.


    Kakashi pulled his forehead protector up and opened his eye revealing the sharingan. Then he stared at Zabuza who was gathering chakra.


    <Ninja art: Hidden Mist Jutsu>


    The mist around them grew thicker, Kakashi walked forward in front of the group.


    "Sensei?" Sakura called out.


    "Well, he''s most like after me, so you guys shouldn''t have to worry, but stay on your guard." Kakashi said.


    "Sensei, who is he?" Sakura asked.


    "Momochi Zabuza, he''s a former anbu black ops member of the hidden mist village, and is an expert of the silent killing technique." Kakashi explained.


    "Silent?" Sakura asked.


    "As the name suggests, it''s a technique used to silently kill your opponent in an instance. Best suited to missions such as assassinations." Kakashi answered.


    "By the time you realize it, it''s already too late, and you''ll have ended up in the afterlife."


    Sakura gulped in fear.


    "Well, if we fail, we''ll only die." Kakashi said casually.


    "How can you be so calm about this?" Sakura yelled out.


    Eventually the mist grew to the point that Naruto and the others couldn''t see Kakashi anymore. So they grew even more tense. Naruto had calmed down his mind, and began concentrating, feeling the area around him as he began sensing for Zabuza''s chakra.


    Kakashi slowly released his killing intent and chakra into the area as he focused. The mist was cleared away and Sasuke soon found himself caught in Kakashi''s killing intent and felt like he was suffocating, he couldn''t move. It was too much for him to bare and right as he gripped his kunai, Kakashi spoke to him.


    "Sasuke, don''t worry, I will protect you with my life. I will not allow my comrades to get killed." He said smiling.


    "I wonder about that." Zabuza suddenly asked. Then he appeared within the formation of the group. Just as Kakashi had spun around however, Naruto had already taken his kunai and lodged it straight into Zabuza''s gut. While shocked, Zabuza slowly turned into water, revealing that he had been a water clone. Then the real Zabuza came from behind Kakashi and sliced him in half. But, Kakashi had also used turned into a water clone, surprising Zabuza.


    What? A water clone? Don''t tell me, he copied me from the beginning? Zabuza thought, Kakashi pressed a kunai up to Zabuza''s neck from behind.


    "Don''t move." Kakashi instructed.


    "It''s over."

 12 Chapter 12: Never Abandon a Comrade! Narutos Plan!

    "It''s Over."


    Zabuza could feel his sweat drip from his forehead as he tried to figure out how Kakashi saw through him and copied his jutsu. He also had to keep an eye on the blond hair kid. He could prove to be a nuisance as well. But his first and top priority was dealing with Kakashi.


    "Hehe, how amusing, to think that you copied my jutsu from back then." Zabuza grinned.


    "However, did you honestly believe it would be so easy?!"


    "What?!" Kakashi exclaimed as Zabuza turned into a water clone.


    Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi and swung his Kubikiribocho for his head. Kakashi quickly ducked, but was kicked away by Zabuza moments later as Zabuza had spun around his sword after it landed in the ground.


    Kakashi escaped into the water to give him time to think of a strategy against Zabuza but when he resurfaced, he noticed that the water was strangely heavy.


    "What is this? Why is the water heavy?" Kakashi mumbled to himself.


    "Fool, it''s because of my water prison jutsu." Zabuza said appearing behind Kakashi.


    "Shit!" Kakashi exclaimed turning around.


    But it was too late. Zabuza stuck his right arm out as he held up with left hand.


    <Water Prison Jutsu>


    Kakashi was trapped within a sphere of water while the reat of team 7 watched helplessly. Naruto however had already started working on a plan. The last time, they had been able to get Zabuza to release Kakashi, so this time shouldn''t be too different. He thought.


    "Sakura, protect Tazuna, Sasuke, help me get Kakashi-sensei out of there." Naruto called out.


    "What?!" They both exclaimed looking at him.


    "Are you crazy Naruto? You guys don''t stand a chance against a guy even Kakashi-sensei couldn''t handle." Sakura yelled out.


    "Everyone, don''t worry about me, take Tazuna and get out of here!" Kakashi yelled out.


    "Zabuza can''t move while he has me trapped like this. Our mission is to protect Tazuna so hurry!"


    Zabuza watched the entire scene in amusement as he created two water clones.


    Naruto sighed as he pulled out a scroll.


    "I understand where you''re coming from Sakura. But against someone like that, running away is the same as dying." Naruto said.


    "Tazuna-san, what do you think?" Naruto asked turning towards him.


    "Well, it''s my fault you guys are in this mess, so who am I to say anything." Tazuna laughed.


    "Go fight all you want, afterall, if you guys win, it''s great for me. Hahahah"


    "Sorry sensei, it doesn''t seem like this guy is gonna let us go, and I doubt we''d be able to escape with Tazuna-san." Naruto said turning to face Kakashi.


    Naruto opened the scroll and bit his thumb, then he swiped his thumb across the scroll. He summoned his bo staff and took a stance.


    His words shook everyone present, and had managed to calm Sasuke''s nerves down. If this idiot can stand calm in front of a monster like this guy, so can I. He thought as he stood in a fighting stance next to Naruto.


    "You ready Sasuke?" Naruto asked.


    "Do you even need to ask? Why don''t you worry about yourself more." Sasuke said confidently.


    Naruto grinned as he chuckled to himself.


    "Alright, if we can free Kakashi-sensei, then we win. Try not to die." Naruto yelled as he charged towards the clone.


    "Right back at you!" Sasuke yelled back rushing towards the other clone.


    "Naruto! Sasuke!" Kakashi and Sakura yelled.


    Damn it, why did I have to let myself get caught?! Kakashi berated himself. Now all he could do was watch and pray that his students would be alright.


    Sakura was left with no other choice as she took up a guarding position in front of Tazuna. Please be safe you two, she thought to herself.


    Naruto swung his staff around himself building up momentum, before swinging it downwards towards the clones head who raised his sword to block the attack. Naruto lifted his staff using the rebound and swung the other end of the staff upwards against the sword pushing it up and out of the way. He then slammed the staff into the ground as he twisted his grip and swung himself at the clone to kick him. The clone reacted by jumping backwards to avoid the blow.


    Sasuke threw several shurikens at the clone he was facing, then he jumped into the air and spewed a fireball out at the clone. But the clone simply jumped out of the way way.


    Naruto then brought his hands together.


    <Wind release: Shadow Clone Jutsu>


    He created four clones. Then he pulled out a windmill shuriken from his bag.


    "Sasuke!" He called out and threw the shuriken to Sasuke.


    I see, so that''s the plan Naruto? Got it. Sasuke thought. Then he stood up and held the shuriken in his hand. Naruto''s clones had paired up and went after the two water clones. Naruto watched as Sasuke jumped up into the air. His clones then lunged towards Zabuza''s water clones and engaged them in combat. While fighting, the two water clones had slice two of Naruto''s clones in half. However, they weren''t expecting the resulting explosion that followed after. Causing all of the clones to be destroyed in that moment. Shocking everyone present.


    <Demon Wind Shuriken Shadow Windmill>


    Sasuke threw the shuriken which passed the area where the clones had been destroyed and went straight for Zabuza. Bringing Zabuza''s attention back onto the shuriken.


    "I see, so you''re plan is to finish me off while I can''t move." Zabuza then reached out and caught the shuriken in his hand.


    "But, it won''t be enough"


    Then he saw a second shuriken that had been hiding in the first one''s blind spot.


    "hmph, still not good enough." Zabuza said smirking as he jumped over the second one.


    As the second shuriken passed by zabuza it transformed into Naruto who threw a kunai at Zabuza.


    What?! Zabuza thought. Damn it, he then pulled his arm out of the sphere of water to dodge the kunai as ot grazed his face.


    Zabuza then turned to throw the shuriken he had in his had at Naruto but was stopped by Kakashi who blocked it.


    "Damn, I got distracted when I pulled my arm out" Zabuza cursed.


    "You''re wrong on that Zabuza, you were forced to pull your arm out." Kakashi said glaring at Zabuza. Then he looked over at Naruto and smiled.


    "Naruto, good plan" Kakashi praised.


    "I won''t be caught by the same jutsu twice, what do you have to say to that? Zabuza!" Kakashi asked.


    The two jumped away and started weaving signs at the same time in sync.


    <Water Dragon Blast Jutsu>


    <Water Dragon Blast Jutsu>


    The two of them used the same jutsu at the same time, causing them to cancel out.


    What? My jutsu, but how? Zabuza wondered. The two jonins ran towards each other and crossed blades. Strange...Zabuza thought. They seperated again. then the two got into the same stance. My movements, he''s completely-


    "-reading them." Kakashi said.


    Zabuza looked wide eyed at Kakashi in shock. What? is he reading my mind? Damn that-


    "-freaky eye is pissing me off!! Right?" Kakashi asked.


    Zabuza was enraged. "Heh, all you''re doing is copying me."


    "You''ll never defeat me you monkey bastard!!" The two said at the same time.


    "Damn you, you bastard. I''ll make sure you can never utter another word again." Zabuza snapped.


    But then he looked in shock at Kakashi. Is that me? He thought as he saw himself standing behind Kakashi. Damn it, is it genjutsu? He wondered.


    <Water Explosion Jutsu>


    Kakashi had finished the jutsu first, causing a large water vortex to slam straight into Zabuza.


    Impossible! Zabuza thought, that was my jutsu, but I couldn''t keep up. Zabuza''s back landed against the tree as he coughed out spit. Then his shoulders were impaled by kunais.


    "Damn it, can you see the future?!" He asked.


    "Yeah, and you''re going to die." Kakashi replied.


    Then, right before Kakashi could deliver the final blow, two needles pierced Zabuza''s neck. He then fell to the ground and didn''t move. Kakashi and Naruto looked up to see a figure in a mask standing on a tree branch.


    "You were right, he is dead." The figure laughed.


    Kakashi kept his guard up as he went to inspect Zabuza''s body. When he got there, he felt no pulse. Looks like he is dead, Kakashi thought. Then he looked over at the figure who had dropped to the ground.


    "Thank you, I''ve been tracking Zabuza for quite some time now, and I was finally able to kill him because of your fight." The person said.


    He then made his way towards Zabuza''s body.


    "You''re a hunted-nin from the hidden mist right?" Kakashi asked.


    "That''s correct." The person replid.


    Judging by his height and voice, he''s not much older than Naruto and the others. Kakashi thought.


    "Looks like there are many secrets on this body. If you don''t mind, I need to dispose of the corpse." The person said.


    "We''re on our own mission, so don''t worry about us." Kakashi said.


    The figure picked up Zabuza''s body and vanished.


    "Who was that?" Sakura asked.


    "That was a hunter-nin, they are ninja who head out and track missing nin from their villages. Then they kill them." Kakashi explained.


    Sakura gulped. "But he didn''t seem to be any older than us!"


    "That''s just how the world is, there are shinobis out there that are younger than me, but stronger than me." Kakashi said.


    "Well then, let''s get you home Tazuna." Kakashi said.


    "Gahahahah, alright, you guys are welcome in my house, so feel free to relax when we get there." Tazuna laughed.


    "We appreciate the offer." Kakashi smiled.


    Then he started falling over. Shit, I used the sharingan too much. My body doesn''t have any energy to move. But before he landed on the ground, Naruto caught him.


    "Don''t worry sensei, we''ll take it from here." Naruto grinned.


    Kakashi couldn''t help but smile back. Minato-sensei, he thought, your son is pretty reliable, he reminds me of you sometimes.


    The group then made their way to Tazuna''s home without incident. There, they settled Kakashi down as he would be on bedrest for about a week.


    "Sensei, are you sure you''re alright?" Tazuna''s daughter, Tsunami asked.


    "Haa, I''ll be fine, just need to rest my body is all." Kakashi replied.


    Naruto was outside sitting on the porch. Zabuza was strong, a lot stronger than he was now. If he was going to change how things go, he had to become even stronger than he already is. He looked up to the sky as he clenched his fist. This time, he won''t let anyone die.

 13 Chapter 13: Desperate Training! Hurry before Zabuza Returns!

    Zabuza lay on the ground while the figure that had carried him away kneeled beside him.


    "First I should drain the blood." The figure said, then, right as he went to make the incision he needed to make. Zabuza grabbed hold of his wrist.


    "Don''t bother, I''ll do it." He said.


    "You''re already awake? I''m impressed, I was sure you''d be unconscious a while longer." The figure commented.


    "Don''t patronize me Haku." Zabuza commanded.


    He then yanked out the needles that were in his neck.


    "Damn, you were rough on me." Zabuza commented.


    "I apologize Zabuza, but the neck has few muscles so it''s the easiest to hit your acupuncture points there." Haku replied.


    "You''re so innocent and clever. That''s what I like about you." Zabuza smiled.


    "That''s because I''m only a kid." Haku replied smiling back.


    Zabuza grunted as he tried to move.


    "You won''t be able to move for about a week, but you might be able to move sooner." Haku said to stop Zabuza from struggling so much.


    "Look, the mist is clearing."


    "Next time, I will defeat the sharingan." Zabuza stated.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Kakashi suddenly opened his eyes as he sat up from his bed. What was that? That feeling of something not being right? He wondered. He thought back to the time when the hunter-nin appeared.


    Sakura freaked out as she had been attempting to peak at what was underneath Kakashi''s mask.


    "Are you alright sensei?" She asked cautiously.


    Naruto came back into the room after hearing Sakura freak out. Then he saw Kakashi had woken up and had a serious look on his face. Looks like he''s realized that something doesn''t add up.


    "Zabuza''s alive." Naruto announced, causing Sakura, Sasuke and Tazuna to freak out at his words. Kakashi looked up wide eyed, but when he thought about it some more, he came to the same conclusion. But he wondered why Naruto thought the same.


    "Why do you say that Naruto? I even confirmed that Zabuza was dead." Kakashi asked.


    "Yeah, that''s right baka-Naruto! Even Kakashi-sensei said Zabuza was dead, so how can he be alive?!" Sakura shouted.


    Sasuke kept silent as he waited for Naruto to explain.


    "It''s simple, the job of the hunter-nin is to eliminate all traces of the missing-nin, right Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto began explaining.


    "That''s right." Kakashi answered.


    "Then why did the hunter-nin need to leave? Why did they chose to instead carry Zabuza''s heavy body away. They could have just as easily taken care of the body right there. Also, the needles they used. They''re the kind of weapons that are difficult to use because if you don''t hit a vital organ, then you can easily survive from being hit by them. But they could be used to feign death just as well by hitting the right acupuncture points." Naruto explained.


    "Oh come on Naruto, you''re just over thinking things. Right sensei?" Sakura asked looking at Kakashi. But seeing his expression, her hope was destroyed.


    "No way, that person is still alive?" Sakura said dumbfounded.


    "In all likelihood, Zabuza is alive. However, there''s some good news." Kakashi said.


    "What is it?" Sakura asked.


    "Anyone who is put into a momentary state of death won''t be able to move for awhile. They will need to give their body time to rest and recover." Kakashi answered.


    "But how does that help us?" Sakura asked.


    "It means, that we''ll have time for me to give you guys some training." Kakashi replied.


    "What? How is training going to help us? Even you struggled so much against him sensei!" Sakura exclaimed.


    "Don''t worry so much Sakura. I should be recovered by the time Zabuza does, but it would still be best if you guys trained yourselves. After all, when I got stuck, who was it that got me out?" Kakashi said smiling.


    Sakura was shocked as she thought back to Naruto and Sasuke working together to free Kakashi.


    "Don''t sell yourselves short, you guys are improving rapidly, especially you Naruto." Kakashi smiled.


    Naruto grinned as he placed his hands behind his head. Sasuke had smirked as well, but he couldn''t help but glance at Naruto. Somehow, after the academy, Naruto had become so strong so quick. While he didn''t want to admit it, Naruto was stronger than he was. Sakura looked at Naruto and Sasuke, she grit her teeth in frustration, was she improving though? All this time, she hadn''t done anything useful.


    Kakashi saw each one''s expression and thought for a moment. Sakura lacks confidence in herself, she''s probably the brightest one here when it comes to theoretical applications. But she doesn''t have the confidence to put what she learned into practice. Sasuke had already acknowledged Naruto as his rival whether he knows it or not. So he''s going to keep trying to outperform him. Naruto though.... hmmm, Naruto already has a handle on the basics. I''m also certain Naruto could have handled himself fairly well against Zabuza if he had been by himself.


    Kakashi sighed to himself, looks like Sasuke and Sakura have a lot of catching up to do.


    "Alright, we''ll begin training immediately, meet me in the woods." Kakashi said as he got up. He had been given a pair of crutches, so he used those to help him get around. The three genin nodded as they all stood up.


    Suddenly, the door opened and a little kid walked in.


    "Inari! You''re home!" Tsunami said.


    "Grandpa? You''re back?" Inari asked.


    "Yeah, thanks to the hidden leaf ninjas, they got me back safe and sound! Gahahahah" Tazuna laughed.


    Inari looked at Naruto and the others.


    "You''re all going to die." He said before turning and leaving.


    "What was that?!" Sakura yelled.


    Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi remained silent however.


    "Now now, please don''t mind Inari, the town has just had a hard time because of Gatou and his men." Tazuna explained.


    The three of them nodded but Sakura was still fuming.


    "But how dare he tell a young maiden that she''s going to die?! If he keeps being broody then no girl will fall for him!" Sakura said loudly in anger.


    "But isn''t Sasuke broody?" Naruto suddenly said allowed.


    Sakura flinched at the words while Sasuke seemed slightly annoyed at the comment.


    "NA-RU-TO!!" Sakura said slowly as she turned to face him with the face of an oni.


    Naruto saw this and slowly backed away.


    "Well....I think we should get back to training. Right Sakura? Oh look, Kakashi-sensei is leaving we should go follow before we''re late." Naruto pleaded.


    Naruto tried to leave but suddenly felt a hand grip his shoulder. When he turned he saw Sakura''s oni face right next to him.


    "NOOOOOOOOOOOOooooo!!" Naruto yelled out.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Zabuza lay down on a bed while Haku was sitting beside him. Gatou opened the door and walked straight into the room, followed by two thuggish looking men.


    "Even you couldn''t kill the leaf shinobi, so much for the Demon of the Hidden Mist, Momochi Zabuza!" Gatou said displeased.


    Zabuza remained silent despite Gatou''s provocations.


    "Why you-!" One of Gatou''s men said as he went to pull his sword.


    "Stop, I''ve got this." Gatou said sticking his arm out. He walked up beside Zabuza''s bed and looked down at him.


    "Not even a word eh, Zabuza?"


    Gatou reached out towards Zabuza but suddenly his wrist was being squeezed tightly by Haku.


    "Don''t you dare touch Zabuza!!" Haku said with is killing intent flaring as he glared at Gatou.


    "Oi, oi, calm down!" Gatou tried to say.


    Haku just continued to squeeze harder, causing Gatou''s wrist to start making cracking sounds.


    "Oi, you two, do something!" Gatou called out.


    The two thugs went to draw their swords but before they realized it, Haku already held their swords in his hands as he placed the blades on their throats. The two of them gulped as sweat dripped from their foreheads.


    "F-Fine, but you guys only get one more chance!" Gatou shouted as he left with his two thugs.


    Once they had gone, Haku turned to face Zabuza who was looking at him.


    "You need to calm down, Zabuza, we can''t create a scene just yet." Haku said.


    "Hmph, you''re too kind Haku, but you''re right." Zabuza said as he closed his eyes again.


    "Just focus on recovering Zabuza, I''ll handle the rest." Haku responded.


    Zabuza didn''t make any sounds as he laid there. Haku smiled as he sat back down beside him.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Kakashi had gathered everyone in the woods. Sasuke was on the far left with Naruto holding his bruised head in the middle, and Sakura humming to herself on the far left. Kakashi couldn''t help but scratch his head. Sakura can be pretty scary when she wants to be, Kakashi thought.


    "Ahem, he coughed getting their attention. Now, we will begin a very special training..."


    Kakashi paused for dramatic effect.


    "What kind of training?" Sakura asked.


    "Chakra control!" Kakashi answered.


    "Chakra control, but how is that going to make us stronger?" Sakura asked.


    Sasuke also wondered how Chakra had anything to do with being stronger, as he said. "We don''t need to learn about it since we can already use ninjutsu just fine."


    Kakashi could only sigh to himself, maybe if one of them explained it to them, he then looked towards Naruto.


    "Naruto, do you know why chakra control is important to a shinobi?" He asked.


    Naruto nodded his head as he stopped holding it. "Chakra control is important because it determines how well a shinobi can conserve and use their chakra in battle. If two shinobis of equal strength were to fight, the one with better chakra control would win."


    Sasuke and Sakura looked at Naruto in shock.


    "Correct, now explain why that is the case." Kakashi said.


    "You see, the one with better chakra control will be able to preserve their chakra longer, and they won''t need as much chakra to perform the same jutsus as the one with weak chakra control. Also, in battle, there tends to be a lot of moving, so you can''t stand still to try and gather chakra, you have to be able to do it while on the move. Which is where chakra control comes into play." Naruto explained.


    "Exactly, now, do you guys understand?" Kakashi asked.


    The two of them nodded their heads after hearing the explanation.


    "So how are we going to train our chakra control?" Sakura asked.


    "Simple, tree climbing!" Kakashi answered.


    "Tree climbing?" Sasuke and Sakura asked in unison.


    "That''s right, Naruto, why don''t you demonstrate." Kakashi suggested.


    "Okay." Naruto agreed. He then walked to a tree and placed his foot onto it.


    Sakura and Sasuke focused on Naruto as he slowly lifted his other foot and slowly began walking up the tree. When he got about half way, he stopped and face everyone.


    "Is this good Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto called down.


    "That''s good, Naruto, I think they have the idea now." Kakashi replied.


    He threw two kunais at Sasuke''s and Sakura''s feet.


    "Use those to mark your progress, and since you haven''t practice, you should try getting a running start at first." Kakashi told the two.


    Naruto jumped down and landed beside Kakashi as Sasuke and Sakura picked up their kunais.


    "But Kakashi-sensei, what''s Naruto going to do?" Sakura asked.


    "You two don''t worry about Naruto, he''s at a much higher level than you two, so he will be doing special training on his own." Kakashi smiled.


    Sakura looked down in embarrassment, somehow, she had always had this feeling of being better than Naruto. But now she saw how laughably arrogant that feeling was of her. Sasuke looked down as he couldn''t help feeling inferior to Naruto and it pissed him off. The two then focused their chakras and started running up the tree. Sasuke managed to get up some distance before the bark exploded below his feet and he had to jump back onto the ground. Sakura on the other hand made it all the way up to the first major branch on her tree.


    "Hey, this isn''t so bad." She said while feeling happy at being able to do it so well.


    Kakashi smiled up at the two.


    "Now keep practicing until you guys can make it all the way to the top." He instructed.


    "Naruto, follow me."


    Naruto nodded as he followed Kakashi deeper into the woods leaving Sasuke and Sakura to their training. Sasuke watched the two slowly get deeper and deeper into the woods until he couldn''t see them anymore. He grit his teeth as he focused on his training again, he was determined to catch up to Naruto and then surpass him.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto and Kakashi had been walking for awhile, and Naruto wondered just what sort of training kakashi had for him. After awhile, Kakashi stopped walking and Naruto waited for him to explain his training.


    "Naruto, because of our training sessions up until now, you''ve mastered the basics and your foundations have been built. You''ve also implemented your wind nature into your jutsus. At this point, you''re already at the level of a high level chuunin shinobi. But we both know that isn''t enough against Zabuza." Kakashi said.


    Naruto nodded his head as he felt this too. It wasn''t so much his skills that were lacking, but more that his body still couldn''t keep up with him.


    "I believe you have the technical skills of a jonin, but your body hasn''t caught up with you yet, which is lowering your ability to that of a chuunin. So I''ve thought long and hard about how you can overcome that difference in a short time. But it''s dangerous and it''s entirely on you if you can master the technique." Kakashi said. Causing Naruto to gulp.


    "What I''m about to train you in is a technique called the hidden gates." Kakashi said.


    Naruto looked at him shocked, he remembered the times he saw Lee and Guy use that move. While it explosively raised their strengths, it also caused tremendous strain on their bodies. He hadn''t expected Kakashi to teach him how to open the hidden gates.


    "However, this technique is dangerous and I would never consider teaching it to you if we weren''t in our current circumstances." Kakashi explained.


    "I can also only teach you up to the first gate, do you want to learn?"


    Naruto thought about it, he really had no other idea on how to improve his physical conditions rapidly to make his body stronger and faster. He looked up at Kakashi with determination in his eyes.


    "I want to learn the technique Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said.

 14 Chapter 14: Training Complete! Calm Before the Storm!

    "997....998.....999...1000!" Naruto gasped as he flipped over onto his back.


    He was drenched in his sweat and his body was screaming in pain. He''d been pushing his body over the limits over and over the past two days. He was exhausted and he could barely keep his eyes open as he breathed.


    "Who knew this kind of training was being done by Lee and Guy." Naruto mumbled to himself.


    He thought back to Kakashi when he explained his training.


    -earlier-


    "Naruto, the way to open the gates is to flood your body with chakra and direct it to the gates within your chakra system. However, before we do that, we need to train your body as hard as we can. That way, your body will handle the massive strain of opening the gates." Kakashi explained.


    "The first gate, the gate of opening is located in your brain and it will allow you to use 100% of your strength instead of the usual 20% that your body naturally limits you to."


    Naruto nodded as he listened.


    "So starting now, we are going to push you far beyond your limits to quickly strengthen yourself, then we''ll have you rest on the fifth day onward to make sure you are recovered enough to fight." Kakashi finished.


    "Right!" Naruto nodded.


    He then began pushing his body by doing push ups, sit ups, running, sparring, and other physical training exercises. Even when he felt exhausted, he continued to push himself.


    -present-


    He sat back up and began training again. He was determined to get as strong as possible so that he wasn''t helpless. He would make sure that none of his friends died this time.


    He started punching at a tree he picked out earlier, leaving dents in the bark as he went. His fists had started to bleed, but by the time he finished resting, they would heal back up. He repeated this over and over until the sun set. Even when the moom rose high into the sky, he was still training.


    "Yo."


    Naruto turned around to see Sasuke watching him.


    "Hey, finished with your training?" Naruto asked.


    "Yeah, everyone is just waiting on you to come back." Sasuke said.


    "Alright, tell them I''ll be fine." Naruto replied as he went back to training his body.


    Sasuke frowned as Naruto''s attitude towards him pissed him off. He walked over to Naruto and picked him up by his shirt.


    "What''s your problem?" Naruto yelled as he got picked up.


    "What''s yours? Everyone is waiting for you and you''re just going to blow them off?" Sasuke snapped back.


    Naruto blinked in surprise at Sasuke.


    "Hehe, I''m surprised you of all people are lecturing me on this." Naruto said laughing.


    "Wha-! I just dislike it when you''re trying to act cool." Sasuke said embarrassed as he looked away and released Naruto.


    "Hmph! Stay here for all I care, I''m heading back."


    Sasuke turned to leave.


    He turned around and faced Naruto. The two stood there quietly as the wind blew between them.


    "True strength comes from the desire to protect." Naruto said seriously as he stared at Sasuke.


    "What are you talking about-" Sasuke began.


    "It''s why I''m strong." Naruto cut him off, surprising him.


    "I''m strong because of my desire to protect. My friends, and my cherished people." Naruto said as he looked down and clenched his fist.


    "I train as hard as I do, because I never want to lose them, and find myself alone again."


    Sasuke looked down as he thought over Naruto''s words.


    "Sasuke!" Naruto said looking up. Bringing his attention back to him.


    "I''m sure you''ll get a lot stronger if you have something you want to protect too." Naruto said grinning.


    "hmph" Sasuke smirked.


    "I''ll tell them you''re not coming back" He said as he ran off.


    "Eh? Wait, wait, I''m coming too!" Naruto yelled out as he chased after Sasuke.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The two arrived at Tazuna''s house and walked inside to find everyone sitting around the table getting ready to eat.


    "Looks like you two made it on time." Kakashi smiled.


    Everyone then gathered around the table to eat. Tazuna was laughing hard as everyone ate, because Naruto and Sasuke had begun competing on who could eat more.


    "I want some more!" The two shouted as they lifted their bowls. They looked over at each other and glared before getting nauseous and bending over to throw up.


    "Jeez, what''s the point of eating so much if you''re just going to throw it up?" Sakura asked exasperated.


    "Well, at least they''re full of energy." Kakashi replied.


    "Gahahahahahah" Tazuna laughed.


    Tsunami smiled warmly at the scene as she served another bowl to the two. Inari however just scowled at everything and quietly ate his food. But as time went on, he couldn''t take it anymore.


    "Why?" He said quietly.


    "Hmm?" Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi looked over at Inari.


    "Why what?" Naruto asked.


    "Why are you all trying so hard?! Gatou is just going to kill you all. You don''t even stand a chance!" Inari yelled.


    Naruto looked down for a moment. "Hmm, that''s a tough question, I guess it''s because I don''t want to have any regrets!" Naruto grinned looking at Inari.


    Inari was surprised at the words spoken by Naruto, as well as Tazuna and Tsunami. Kakashi smiled fondly at Naruto''s declaration.


    "Huh?! What''s the use of regrets if you''re dead? In the end it doesn''t even matter!" Inari shouted.


    "Inari, that''s enough! What would Kaiza say if he saw you?!" Tazuna shouted.


    Inari looked at Tazuna as he got upset, then he ran out of the room as he cried.


    "Inari! Wait!" Tsunami called out after him. She then left the room as well to go after him. She turned around and berated Tazuna for mentioning Kaiza in front of Inari.


    Naruto sighed and left as well, feeling his appetite disappear. Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi then turned to face Tazuna.


    "I take it there''s a story here" Kakashi said.


    "Yes, Kaiza was a father figure to Inari a long time ago." Tazuna replied while sighing out. He grabbed his bottle and took a large swig from it.


    "If you don''t mind, I''d like to hear what happened." Kakashi said.


    "You see, this all started when Inari first met Kaiza." Tazuna began explaining.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto was outside walking through the woods. He didn''t have any real destination in mind. He just needed to get some air and clear his head. Even knowing how everything played out, Naruto couldn''t stop feeling everything just as strongly as the first time. When he thought back to the first time he heard the story, it had given him a new perspective on Inari. The kid was just trying to deal with the death of a parent, same as Sasuke. While he never knew what it was like to have parents in the first place. Even though he had met both is father and mother, it was during times where they didn''t have a lot of time to really get to know each other.


    He sighed and scratched his head, I better clear my head with some training, Naruto thought. He summoned his bo staff and began swinging it around. He went through the motions of blocking and attacking. He swung the staff over and over as sweat dripped from his forehead. I need to be faster, he thought, he swung the staff again and again, swinging it faster each time. His muscles became taught as he pushed himself harder.


    He continued swinging his staff until he fell onto his back from exhaustion. He breathed heavily as his chest rose and fell. He then closed his eyes to take a rest before he continued training. But soon, he passed out.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Inari was sitting on the edge of the wooden deck, everyone was turning in for the night. Just then, the door opened behind him and Kakashi walked out, he then took a seat by him.


    "I heard about Kaiza from Tazuna." Kakashi said.


    "Then you know why everything you do is pointless." Inari said looking away from anger.


    "I wouldn''t say that, from what I heard, Kaiza was a real hero to the people here." Kakashi replied.


    "Well, there''s no such things as heroes! All they do is break promises and die!" Inari yelled back.


    "You know, I think what Naruto said earlier affected you more than you think." Kakashi said.


    Inari looked back at Kakashi before gritting his teeth and yelling. "Well he should mind his own business, he doesn''t know what it''s like to lose someone important!"


    Kakashi frowned inwardly to himself. "You know, Naruto grew up with no parents." Kakashi said looking up at the sky.


    Inari looked at Kakashi in surprise.


    "You see, Naruto hasn''t had anyone to care for him from day one, and he has had to work hard to earn what he has today. So in all likelihood, Naruto might be the only one who could possibly understand where you''re coming from."


    Inari looked down as he listened.


    "Naruto has chosen that it would be better to work hard and change his life, than to let life control him" Kakashi smiled as he spoke to Kakashi.


    "Well, you''ve listened to me long enough. Goodnight." Kakashi got up and left Inari alone with his thoughts.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Morning came and the birds chirped in the trees. A figure was picking herbs and placing them into a basket they carried. They glanced over and saw a blonde haired kid laying on the ground unconscious. He walked over and kneeled down beside the boy. The figure was Haku and he remembered that the blonde was from the group that fought Zabuza. He slowly reached his hand down towards the boys throat.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Sakura yawned as she walked into the dining room where she saw Kakashi, Sasuke, Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari there.


    "Naruto didn''t come back last night?" Tazuna asked.


    "He was probably out training, that''s all he ever does." Sakura said rubbing the sleep from her eyes.


    "Will he be okay? He''s only a child." Tsunami said.


    "Don''t worry, despite his looks, he''s a true shinobi." Kakashi answered.


    "Maybe he did die though." Sasuke said to himself.


    Inari thought back to what Naruto said about not living with regrets as he looked down at the ground.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Haku reached his hand down and tapped Naruto on the cheek.


    "Wake up, you''ll catch a cold if you sleep here." Haku said.


    "Hn?" Naruto mumbled, then he sat straight up when he saw Haku kneeling beside him.


    Haku? Why is he here? Naruto wondered, then he remembered what happened from before and relaxed. Right, he showed up picking herbs last time as well.


    "Who are you?" Naruto asked.


    Haku smiled.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Is this what you were looking for?" Naruto asked as he handed Haku a herb.


    "So this is medicine huh?"


    "Thanks for helping out." Haku said.


    "You sure are working early." Naruto commented.


    "So are you, what are you doing out here so early."


    "Training" Naruto grinned.


    "Training? That forehead protector, are you a ninja?" Haku asked.


    "Yup" Naruto replied.


    "Why are you training?" Haku asked.


    "So that I can become stronger!" Naruto announced.


    "But you already look strong enough." Haku replied.


    "Nope, I need to be stronger." Naruto laughed.


    "Why?" Haku questioned.


    "To protect those I care about!" Naruto said staring deeply into Haku''s eyes.


    "There are too many people stronger than me, so I need to train more so I can be strong enough to protect my cherished people from them!"


    Haku looked down in thought as he remembered his past.


    "Looks like you will become someone truly strong." Haku said getting up.


    "Let''s meet again sometime." He said as he left.


    "Sure! I hope your friend gets better soon!" Naruto called out.


    Sasuke had gone looking for Naruto and heard him shouting when he passed Haku. He couldn''t help but look at Haku again because he felt something off about him.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    It was the final day of their training and Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura went to see Sasuke''s results from training. Sasuke had managed to finally climb to the top of the tree without getting a running start proving that he had gotten a good control over his chakra.


    Looks like everyone has improved and are growing well. Kakashi thought as he smiled. The group went back to Tazuna''s place and Kakashi sent the three of them to watch over the bridge building as he stayed behind. He was doing push ups with a single finger while Tazuna was sitting on his back.


    "I wanted to ask you this earlier, but why didn''t you leave after finding out I lied to you all." Tazuna asked.


    "To abandon your duty is not courageous. Below the courageous, there is nothing. Those are the previous Hokage''s words. That is the way of the shinobi, shinobis don''t move because of money alone." Kakashi answered.


    Tazuna got off of Kakashi as he stood up, he checked himself over. My body is about back to normal now, Kakashi thought.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Zabuza held an apple in his hand as he crushed it to pieces.


    "You''re almost all better." Haku observed.


    "We should go soon." Zabuza commented.


    "...yes." Haku replied.

 15 Chapter 15: Showdown at the Bridge! Uzumaki Naruto Arrives!

    "Take care everyone!" Tsunami said to Kakashi and the others.


    "Sensei, are you sure it''s okay to leave Naruto behind?" Sakura asked.


    "It''s fine, he needs to rest anyways." Kakashi said, thinking back to the training the two did last night.


    "He''ll catch up when he wakes."


    "Okay!" Sakura said.


    "Hmph" Sasuke mumbled.


    "Alright, let''s go, the bridge is almost finished!" Tazuna said.


    The group started walking to the bridge.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Is everything ready for the ambush?" Gatou asked.


    He was holding a radio and wasn''t hearing anything from the other end.


    "Oi, are you listening to me?!" Gatou yelled in the radio.


    "Quit your whining, everything will be taken care of." Zabuza said into his radio before dropping it and walking away.


    "O-oi! Zabuza! Zabuza!!" The radio said.


    Zabuza then stepped on the radio, crushing it.


    "Let''s move Haku."


    "Yes Zabuza."


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Gatou stared angrily at the radio in his hand. He then looked over at his two thugs.


    "You two know what to do." He said, before turning and walking back into his office. The two thugs grinned as they looked at one another and left the building.


    "Tonight will be the anniversary date of that bastard Tazuna''s death." Gatou laughed to himself.


    "Gather all the men up, I don''t want anything left to chance, we''ll kill them all if we have to." Gatou instructed to another thug nearby.


    The man nodded and began rounding everyone up. Gatou watched the scene as he pulled a cigar out and lit it up. He then placed it in his lips as he inhaled.


    "All according to plan." He smirked.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto woke up with a start and he looked at the time.


    "Shit! I overslept!"


    He rushed to get changed into his clothes as he ran down the stairs.


    "Naruto, you''re up!" Tsunami said smiling.


    "Can''t talk, I''m late!" Naruto blurted out.


    "But don''t you want something to eat? I''m about to make lunch." Tsunami called out.


    "Thanks for the offer, but I''m fine, I''ll see you all later!" Naruto yelled as he bolted through the door.


    He ran through the woods as quickly as he could. But then he felt like he was forgetting something. So he stopped and paused to think. What was he forgetting he wondered.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    When Kakashi and the others arrived at the bridge, they discovered that it was empty and a light mist was covering the area. Looks like our suspicions were right, Kakashi thought, Zabuza is alive.


    "Sasuke, Sakura, get in formation and protect Tazuna. Looks like we have company after all." Kakashi commanded.


    "You even brought some of the brats I see, and even one of them is shaking!"


    Slowly several water clones of Zabuza appeared around them.


    "Sasuke, do it." Kakashi said.


    Sasuke moved, and before anyone realized it, all the water clones had been destroyed.


    "I''m shaking with excitement!" Sasuke said as he stared at Zabuza and Haku who appeared in the mist.


    "Well what do you know, looks like you''ve got yourself a rival Haku!" Zabuza grinned.


    "Indeed it does." Haku replied.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Inari! Lunch is almost ready, come down now!" Tsunami called out.


    "Okay, but I''m in the bathroom!" Inari yelled back.


    Tsunami continued to busy herself when a loud crash sounded behind her. When she turned around, she saw the two thugs that always walked around with Gatou standing behind her.


    "Boss wants a hostage, so come with us, and you won''t get hurt." One of them said.


    Tsunami looked on in horror as they approached her. Inari came out of the bathroom and went to the kitchen.


    "Mom? What was that loud crashing sound I hea-" He stopped as he saw two thugs approaching his mom.


    "Inari, run away!" Tsunami yelled.


    "Mom!" Inari cried out.


    "Oh look, it''s a kid." One of the thugs said.


    "Good, I was just looking for something to cut." The other replied as be pulled out his sword.


    Inari panicked and tripped over, falling down onto the ground. He looked desperately at his mom.


    "Wait!" Tsunami yelled, causing the two to look at her.


    "If you lay a hand on Inari, I''ll bite my tongue and commit suicide, you need a hostage right? So please, just let him go."


    The thug that wanted to cut Inari clicked his tongue.


    "Damn, just when I got excited." He said.


    The other also spoke. "You better thank your mother kid, since she''s the reason we''re letting you go."


    The two lifted up Tsunami from the ground and begam walking away.


    "I''m sorry mom, but I''m just so scared!" Inari cried out.


    He desperately wanted to save his mom but his body kept shaking in fear.


    Then he remembered what Naruto told him.


    -Flashback-


    "Why are you all trying so hard?! Gatou is just going to kill you all. You don''t even stand a chance!" Inari yelled.


    Naruto looked down for a moment. "Hmm, that''s a tough question, I guess it''s because I don''t want to have any regrets!" Naruto grinned looking at Inari.


    -End Flashback-


    That''s right, Inari thought, I don''t want to have any regrets. If I let them just take mom like that, then that will be the biggest regret of my life! He stood up and ran outside to see the two thugs with his mom.


    "Hey! Leave my mom alone!" Inari yelled as he ran towards them.


    "Heh, that''s great. Looks like I do get to cut him afterall." One of the thugs grinned.


    "Wait!-" Tsunami began to yell. But she was knocked unconscious by the other thug.


    "We should''ve done this from the start." He grinned.


    The two then walked towards Inari''s running figure and went to slash at him with their swords. But to their surprise, what they cut had been a log.


    "What?" They exclaimed.


    Inari blinked in surprise as he saw a familiar figure holding him.


    "Sup hero!" Naruto grinned.


    Inari stared at Naruto. "Naruto?"


    Naruto''s smile broadened as he stood up. "That''s right!"


    Inari was about to say something when Naruto raised his hand to stop him.


    "We can talk after I take care of these guys." He grinned.


    "You little punk, you think you can handle us?" One of the thugs yelled.


    "Yeah, I do." Naruto said smiling.


    <Wind Release: Gale Palm Jutsu!>


    Naruto weaved his hand signs as he gathered his chakra and sent two blasts of wind straight at the thugs, knocking them away. He then body flickered to one of the thugs and summoned his staff and slammed it on the thugs ribcage, sending him crashing to the ground. He repeated the process with the other thug. All of this happened within seconds. Naruto landed on the ground and put away his staff, before wiping his hands together.


    "That takes care of that." He grinned.


    "Naruto!" Inari called out.


    "How are you here?" he asked.


    Naruto grinned as he recounted how he saw a cut ul bored and sword marks in the trees, that were heading towards Tazuna''s house. So he figured something was wrong and rushed back as quickly as he could.


    Inari stared wide eyed at Naruto as tears gathered in them. Naruto grinned towards Inari.


    "Do you have any regrets?" Naruto asked.


    Inari shook his head.


    "Good, now you go take care of your mom, I''ve gotta get to the bridge." Naruto said smiling.


    Inari nodded his head as the tears streamed down his face.


    "Damn it, I promised myself I wasn''t going tk cry anymore." Inari said.


    Naruto turned around again and gave a thumbs up while grinning.


    "There''s nothing wrong with crying when you''re happy!"


    Inari smiled as he cried harder, then he watched as Naruto vanished from his spot with a gust of wind. Good luck Naruto, Inari thought to himself. Then he rushed over to his mom to wake her up. After she woke up, the two cried as they embraced each other. Inari explained all that had happened while she was unconscious, and the two looked in the direction of the bridge. They hoped for everyone''s safety over there.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Zabuza and Haku faced Kakashi and the others.


    "Kakashi, I hope you''ve made your peace with death, because things won''t go as they did last time!" Zabuza said as he used the hidden mist jutsu.


    Kakashi narrowed his eyes as he raised his alertness to the maximum.


    "Sakura, guard Tazuna, Sasuke, stay alert for that kid in the mask, I''ll handle Zabuza." Kakashi instructed.


    "Right!" The two nodded their heads as they took position.


    Suddenly two needles were sent flying towards Tazuna, but were quickly deflected by Sasuke.


    "Why don''t you stop hiding and face me, unless you''re too scared." Sasuke taunted.


    Then, Haku appeared behind Sasuke.


    "I don''t know whether your bravado is due to your courage or your recklessness." He said before swiping at Sasuke with two needles.


    Sasuke ducked down quickly dodging the needles while sticking his leg out and did a leg sweep at Haku. Haku jumped backwards avoiding the leg sweep and the two rushed each other, kunai against needles.


    Kakashi and Zabuza faced each other as Haku and Sasuke engaged each other.


    "Looks like you''re missing someone, where''s the blonde haired brat?" Zabuza said.


    "That''s not your concern Zabuza!" Kakashi replied.


    Zabuza knew that between the kid facing Haku and the blonde, the blonde was more dangerous. So he couldn''t place all his focus on Kakashi in case of an ambush. But, there was the chance that the brat wasn''t here for some reason. Let''s test the waters first, Zabuza thought. He hid himself within the mist and created two water clones. He sent one after Kakashi and the other after Tazuna and the other brat.


    Kakashi was on edge, he knew Naruto wasn''t here, so all he could do was try and bluff and hope Naruto showed up soon. This mist also made it difficult for him to keep track of Sakura and Tazuna while maintaining his guard. Suddenly, Zabuza appeared out of the mist in front of him, sweeping wide with his Kubikiribocho. Kakashi jumped up avoiding the blade and thew two kunais at Zabuza, one of them was deflected while the other pierced Zabuza causing him to transform into water.


    Damn, a water clone Kakashi thought. Then he turned and saw another clone rushing towards Tazuna and Sakura. Damn it, please let me make it in time, Kakashi thought as he rushed after the clone.


    Zabuza had been watching the entire time, and grinned to himself. Looks like that blonde hair kid isn''t here. He slowly vanished back into the mist.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Haku and Sasuke had crossed blades several times by now, and while Haku couldn''t land a fatal blow on Sasuke, Sasuke still recieved several minor cuts.


    "You''re pretty strong." Haku commented.


    "Heh, I''m only getting started." Sasuke boasted.


    "Hoh? We''ll see about that." Haku replied. Causing Sasuke to frown in displeasure.


    Haku vanished in front of Sasuke, causing him to tense up and observe his surroundings. Where is he going to strike? Sasuke thought. He observed his surroundings carefully, trying to find anything off about them. Then, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. There! He thought, and he threw a kunai at the spot, causing Haku to back away as the kunai had pierced his shoulder.


    "I see, you''re starting to get used to my speed and attack patterns. You truly are strong." Haku said thoughtfully.


    Sasuke smirked as he felt he was getting the upper hand in the fight. Just a little bit more and I''ll win, he thought. Haku lowered his hands as he stared at Sasuke.


    "It''s time I end this." He announced.


    Sasuke was confused by Haku''s words but still maintained his guard in case of traps.


    <Secret Art: Crystsl Ice Mirrors>


    Haku used a handseal and slowly, several mirrors started forming around the two. Eventually, a dome was created using twenty-one mirrors. Haku stepped towards one and stepped inside. Soon, all the mirrors had an image of Haku on them.


    What is this? Sasuke thought.


    "This is my hidden jutsu, a technique passed down within my clan. This is also the end for you." Haku said.


    Sasuke brought his awareness up to the max in preparation towards any attack. Each image of Haku slowly raised their arm with needles in hand. Then each one through the needle at Sasuke who was in the middle. What? Sasuke thought as he tried to dodge but failed, getting pierced in the shoulder.


    "The next one will go into your thigh." Haku announced.


    Idiot, if you tell me, I''ll be able to dodge it, Sasuke thought as he grit his teeth in pain. But when he tried dodging the attacks again, his thigh was piered by another needle. What''s going on? Sasuke thought furiously, I dodged his attack.


    "You should give up, there''s no way for you to escape this technique." Haku told Sasuke.


    Damn it! Sasuke thought.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Sakura had kept her guard up within the fog, but she couldn''t help but be worried about Sasuke and Kakashi. She kept looking all over the place to make sure no one got the drop on her.


    "You sure you''re friends will be alright without you?" Tazuna asked.


    "Of course!" Sakura said with a forced smile. But she knew deep down that she was still worried.


    She continued looking around the area, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t see through the mist at all. Suddenly, Zabuza appeared right in front of them with his Kubikiribocho raised above his head.


    "Stay behind me!" Sakura shouted as she raised her kunai up in a desperate attempt to block Zabuza from Tazuna.


    However, Kakashi appeared right being Zabuza and stabbed him in the back with a kunai, making him transform into water. Sakura sighed in relief but panicked again when she saw Zabuza appear behind Kakashi.


    "Sensei! Look out!" She screamed.


    Kakashi spun on his heal and stabbed the Zabuza behind him, revealing him to be another water clone. Then he heard Sakura scream behind him and when he looked over, he saw another Zabuza raising his Kubikiribocho above his head. No! Kakashi thought as he sprinted in between Sakura and Zabuza, then he stuck his arms out in front as Zabuza slashed down. Sakura screamed as she witnessed Kakashi get slashed by Zabuza.


    The Kubikiribocho slammed into the ground after cutting Kakashi. Zabuza clicked his tongue in irritation because he knew that the cut had been shallow. Kakashi then grabbed Tazuna and Sakura and jumped away from Zabuza.


    "Are you alright sensei?" Sakura asked trying desperately to hold it together.


    "Yeah, I''m fine, it''s just a scratch." Kakashi replied.


    He steadied his nerves as he breathed out slowly. That was close, he thought, as he remembered the instant when Zabuza slashed at him. If he had been just a little closer to Zabuza, he would have died right there. Kakashi''s jonin jacket hung loosely as it had been cut across the middle. Now, what''s his next move? Kakashi wondered, he also couldn''t help but worry about Sasuke either.


    "Well Kakashi, seems you''ve evaded me this time, but how will you get out of this?!" Zabuza yelled as he appeared behind Tazuna and swung his sword.


    Shit! Kakashi thought. However, before he could react a large gust of wind blew, causing everyone to sheild their eyes. Zabuza was launched at high speeds away from the group crashing into the ground.


    What was that?! Everyone stared at Zabuza''s knocked down figure.


    "Whew, made it just in time." A figure announced.


    Kakashi''s eyes widened as Naruto appeared, wind swirled around him as veins were bulging on his forehead and arms.


    "Don''t you dare touch any of my precious people!"

 16 Chapter 16: Desperate Struggle! Sudden Encounter!

    Kakashi stared at Naruto''s figure. He couldn''t help but breath a sigh of relief. Things had been looking difficult for a moment there. He felt his nerves relax as he exhaled a breath he had been holding in.


    Naruto scanned the area and noticed the large dome with the ice mirrors, which he knew Sasuke and Haku would be in. He saw Kakashi with Sakura, and Tazuna, and when he arrived, he had launched Zabuza away from them.


    He breathed out in relief, looks like he made it in time after all. No one had died yet, but he knew Zabuza and Haku wouldn''t give up until the very end. Luckily, if he could drag this fight out long enough, Gatou would sooner or later show up. Giving him a possible way to save Zabuza and Haku from dying.


    Naruto looked over at Kakashi and saw the wounds Kakashi had received. He couldn''t help getting angry at Zabuza but he calmed himself down. But he calmed himself down in order to take in the situation clearly. He had opened the first gate of the eight hidden gates formation and he could only maintain the state for about five minutes. Afterwards, he would be overwhelmed by a wave of exhaustion, which meant he only had three minutes remaining. So he needed to wrap things up quickly.


    "Kakashi-sensei, are you alright?" Naruto asked.


    "Heh, you''re too young to be worrying about me Naruto." Kakashi said walking over and patting Naruto on the head.


    "But thanks for the help." He smiled.


    Naruto grinned back toward Kakashi. Zabuza glared at Naruto, if looks could kill, Zabuza would have killed Naruto a dozen times over.


    "Now, looks live we have some unfinished business." Kakashi said, glancing at Zabuza.


    "Right." Naruto nodded.


    "Heheh, you think one more brat is going to change anything?!" Zabuza sneered.


    Zabuza created a water clone and together, the two rushed at Kakashi and Naruto.


    "Keep your guard up Naruto, Zabuza is a high level jonin!" Kakashi warned.


    Kakashi and Naruto both stood back to back as they waited in anticipation for Zabuza''s next attack. Zabuza came out of the mist slashing down at Kakashi while the clone slashed at Naruto. Naruto created two clones as the swords swung towards them.


    "Kakashi-sensei! Grab on!" Naruto yelled.


    The two grabbed onto the clones outstretched arms and were pulled away from where the swords landed. While in mid air, Naruto started forming hand seals.


    Tiger ¡ú Ox ¡ú Dog ¡ú Rabbit ¡ú Snake


    <Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Jutsu>


    The wind blew away Zabuza and his water clone along with all the mist in the jutsu''s path. Naruto grinned as he landed on the ground beside Kakashi.


    "Now we can see perfectly fine." Naruto joked.


    "Well done, Naruto!" Kakashi said.


    <Water Dragon Blast Jutsu>


    <Water Dragon Blast Jutsu>


    The water below the bridge rose up creating two columns of water that were shaped like dragons as they crashed into each other. Water fell onto the bridge like heavy rain as the ground was soaked. Zabuza breathed heavily with rage as his plan had begun going awry as soon as the blond haired kid showed up.


    Naruto was wrapped up in own thoughts as his gaze fell towards the direction of Sasuke. Could Sasuke defeat Haku? He thought, the reason Sasuke had gotten injured and fell unconscious in his previous life was because of him. So maybe if he didn''t help Sasuke out, things would be different. But Naruto still couldn''t help but feel worry for him, since he knew how difficult and dangerous it was to face Haku.


    Kakashi noticed Naruto''s gaze and knew what he was worried about.


    "Naruto. Are you worried about Sasuke?" Kakashi asked.


    Naruto shook his head. "I''d be lying if I said I wasn''t, but I trust Sasuke, so he''ll be fine!" He grinned as he looked back at Kakashi.


    Kakashi smiled back at Naruto, he had planned on saying something to help him calm down, but he found that there was no need.


    "That''s good, let''s have faith in Sasuke while we take care of Zabuza."


    "Right!" Naruto acknowledged.


    The two returned their attention back onto Zabuza who had already created several water clones.


    "Leave the clones to me!" Naruto shouted as he created shadow clones of his own.


    The clones rushed each other and started crossing blades with one another while Naruto and Kakashi rushed Zabuza.


    Sakura had been watching everything play out, but there was a tight bitter feeling within her chest as she gazed onto Naruto''s back. They were the same age, yet all she could do was stand there and watch. She turned her gaze towards Sasuke and felt the same thing, again, she couldn''t do anything at all. She was supposed to be a ninja like the other two, but she couldn''t even stand on the same level as them. Why was she so weak, she wondered, she couldn''t help but look up to the sky in frustration. Then she noticed that the clouds had gathered heavily around them. Is it about to storm over here? She wondered, but then she felt an ominous feeling as the clouds slowly began swirling around each other. Something''s wrong! She thought.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Sasuke was busy fighting Haku while Naruto and Kakashi teamed up against Zabuza. Haku had begun growing restless as he knew Zabuza was being pressured by the two. He had no time to waist, he had to finish off Sasuke and go help Zabuza in his own fight. But despite this desire, he just couldn''t manage to land a finishing blow against Sasuke.


    Sasuke landed on the ground after dodging another of Haku''s attacks. He was breathing heavily, but he couldn''t stop the smirk from appearing on his face. He had started to grow accustom to Haku''s speed and attack patterns. If he could last just a little bit longer, then he would be able to defeat Haku. He felt that as long as he was able to dodge Haku''s next attack, he would be able to counterattack.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Kakashi evaded Zabuza''s slash before slashing down at him with his kunai. Zabuza changed his grip on his Kubikiribocho and brought the blade up deflecting the kunai coming down on him and knocking it out of Kakashi''s hand. He brought the blade around him as he swung it at Kakashi again. Kakashi brought his hands together and quickly performed his hand seals.


    Tiger ¡ú Hare ¡ú Boar ¡ú Dog


    <Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall Jutsu>


    A wall made of earth rose from the ground blocking Zabuza''s view as he sliced into it. Kakashi jumped up into the air above the wall and quickly formed a different set of hand seals.


    Tiger ¡ú Ox ¡ú Tiger ¡ú Rat


    <Water Release: Water Bullet Jutsu>


    Zabuza jumped back away from the blast impact. Then he glared at Kakashi who landed on top of the earth wall. Naruto jumped from behind Zabuza and swung his staff down at his head. Zabuza who was a second late in noticing Naruto jumped to the side to avoid the blow. Naruto''s staff landed on the ground piercing into it. He then swung himself around the staff embedded in the ground and kicked Zabuza with both of his feet who hadn''t gotten away in time. Zabuza grabbed onto Naruto''s ankle and pulled him as he brought his Kubikiribocho overhead and swung down at Naruto. Naruto used the substitution jutsu and was replaced by a log that got cut in half as he appeared right beside Kakashi and was breathing heavily.


    Naruto only had about two minutes left before the first gate would close again, so he needed to finish things soon. Then he felt something coming from above, when he glanced up his eyes widened. The sky was filled with looming clouds that swirled in on themselves and in the center of it all, a black substance was forming. What the hell is that?! Naruto wondered. Kakashi and Zabuza had also noticed the strange chakra looming above their heads in the sky. The two of them had the exact same question Naruto did.


    Soon however, the substance fell from the sky and landed on the ground where it began shifting within itself. Naruto and Kakashi raised their guard, especially Naruto, this was something that had never happened before. So he couldn''t help but feel that he was somehow the cause of it. The substance reminded him of Black Zetsu, but the chakra signature was completely different. The chakra didn''t have any kind of malice within it, but it felt unnatural.


    The substance was in the shape of a sphere and soon, cracks started forming around it. Something''s coming! Naruto, Kakashi, and Zabuza thought. The cracks grew larger until the sphere broke and shattered into pieces that began converging on the figure that had emerged. The figure was a pure white human and the black substance formed clothes around it. It then opened it''s eyes revealing empty sockets. It gazed around it''s surroundings until it landed on Naruto. Then, before anyone could react, it had stretched it''s arm and pierced Naruto''s chest.


    What?! The three ninjas exclaimed. The figures arm had elongated into a spike that was pierced through Naruto''s chest and extending out of his back. Naruto coughed out blood as Kakashi grabbed him and pulled him away. However, the figure remained motionless as he did so.


    "Naruto, are you alright?!" Kakashi asked frantically. He didn''t even have time to react to what had happened.


    Naruto coughed up more blood. "Hah, I''ll be fine..... just need.... some time to recover." Naruto said weakly, but he knew he wasn''t fine.


    Kakashi glared at the figure but was weary of it as well. So far, the only one it had attacked was Naruto, which confused him, because it hadn''t shown any actions against anyone else. But then it started moving and began walking towards Zabuza.


    Zabuza tensed up as the figure approached him, he couldn''t follow it''s movement when it had attacked Naruto, so he knew he couldn''t let his guard down. Then he began coughing up blood as he fell over. What just happened?! Zabuza''s mind raced, he looked down and saw that it had pierced his gut as well. How the hell did it do that? Zabuza couldn''t figure it out.


    Kakashi appeared behind the figure and was forming hand seals rapidly.


    Ox ¡ú Rabbit ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Dragon ¡ú Rat ¡ú Bird ¡ú Ox ¡ú Snake ¡ú Dog ¡ú Tiger ¡ú Monkey


    <Chidori>


    He then pierced the figures body, while another Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza and pulled him away, landing where Naruto was. The figure turned it''s head and looked at Kakashi before lifting it''s other arm up and stabbed Kakashi. Kakashi vanished in a cloud of smoke, revealing a log in it''s place.


    Zabuza breathed heavily as he glanced up at Kakashi who was covered in sweat.


    "Looks like we''ve been attacked by a real monster." Zabuza breathed out, as he coughed up blood as well.


    "Yeah, things don''t look good at all." Kakashi agreed. He held his chest as he had been grazed by the figures attack before he could escape.


    Blood dripped from the figures hand as he looked at it with a blank expression.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Haku and Sasuke had been fighting until Haku stopped as he sensed the foreboding chakra above. Then when they looked over, they witnessed the strange substance fall from the sky and change into some strange figure. Then they saw the figure attack Naruto and Zabuza and pierce them with ease, putting their lives in danger.


    "I think we should call a truce for now." Haku immediately suggested, he was extremely worried about Zabuza.


    "Agreed." Sasuke replied, he could feel how dangerous the situation had become.


    The two nodded as Haku released his jutsu and the two ran over to where Kakashi and the others were.


    Once they arrived, Sasuke saw how badly injured Naruto was as his breathing had become shallow. He grit his teeth in frustration as he crouched beside Kakashi. Haku had gone to Zabuza''s side and inspected his injury. Zabuza slowly pushed himself up off the ground.


    "Zabuza, don''t push yourself, you''re too injured!" Haku exclaimed in worry.


    "Heh, regardless if I''m on the ground or not, I don''t think it matters." Zabuza said weakly as he gazed in a certain direction.


    When Haku followed his gaze to where Zabuza was looking, he saw the figure looking at them. He then knew what Zabuza was talking about. The figure was unlikely to let any of them go, they all thought as they prepared themselves for an intense battle.


    Sakura had witnessed everything that happened and her legs had begun shaking, what could they do against that kind of monster? She thought. Naruto and Zabuza had been taken down so easily and even Kakashi-sensei''s attack didn''t do anything to it. She couldn''t help but feel that this was the end for all of them.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto''s breathing was shallow as his vision was beginning to blur. What''s happening? He wondered. His hearing was also beginning to fade as the sounds around him grew distant, as if he was in another room. Am I dying? He wondered, but I have so many things I need to change! He tried to fight against the feeling that was tugging at his consciousness but no matter how hard he fought, he only felt himself getting further and further away. Is this really the end? He couldn''t help but wonder as his mind became blank and his vision went black.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "You''re not dead yet." A voice said.


    Naruto opened his eyes wide as he looked around. He was in a dark space with different lights dotting his surroundings. He was floating there looking around when he noticed a figure behind him, he turned and looked at him. The figure looked like a young man who didn''t look older than 18, he had messy black hair and wore a simple black kimono robe. He was floating while cross legged, and his eyes were entirely black with nothing else in them.


    "Who are you?!" Naruto asked.


    "Haha, me? I''m not really anyone important, but I guess you can call me Hateshi." He answered.


    "Hateshi?" Naruto repeated.


    "Where are we?"


    "Hmm, that''s a pretty good question, how should I explain it?" Hateshi questioned as he places his finger on his lips and tilted his head in thought.


    "I could say that we are nowhere, since this place doesn''t really have a name. It''s also strange that you''re here, but I guess I shouldn''t be too surprised."


    Naruto stared at the figure speaking to himself confused. He had no idea what the guy was going on about, and he still hadn''t explained anything at all.


    "Well, you can just say that we are in The Void." Hateshi announced.


    "The Void?" Naruto questioned.


    "Yup!" Hateshi grinned.

 17 Chapter 17: Reason for Going Back! Narutos Choice!

    "The Void?" Naruto asked.


    "Yup!" Hateshi grinned.


    "But what does that mean? That still doesn''t explain anything to me!" Naruto pressed.


    "Hold on, take a deep breath and relax, everything will be explained in due time."


    "Hold on?! My friends are in trouble! I don''t have time to relax!" Naruto shouted.


    "Haha, maybe it''d be best if I just showed you then." Hateshi smiled.


    Naruto was about to yell again when he suddenly saw an image appear in front of him. The image showed him what was happening with his friends, and he saw that nothing was moving.


    "Do you finally get it?" Hateshi asked.


    "No one''s moving!" Naruto observed.


    "Yup, so now you don''t need to worry now, and I can take my time explaining to you what''s going on."


    Naruto grinned sheepishly as he sat back down cross legged and scratched his head. "I still don''t fully understand it, but it means that my friends are fine."


    Hateshi sighed as he leaned back. "Right, who am I talking to again, of course you wouldn''t understand it just like that."


    "Hey, what''s that supposed to mean!" Naruto snapped.


    "Oh, nothing really, just that you always did have a hard time grasping the really complicated matters." Hateshi grinned.


    "I''m not insulting your intelligence, you just never really cared about the details and would always rush in head first."


    Naruto couldn''t help but be slightly embarrassed, because it was true, he always did rush in head first without spending too much time to think about things. It was just who he was, he slowly changed as he got older and he spent more time to think and ponder over things, but he still had a bad habit of punching first and asking questions later.


    "Right now, the time in your world is stopped, which means no one is in any danger at the moment. But, I can only maintain that state for so long." Hateshi explained.


    "Eh, you can stop time?!" Naruto asked with surprise.


    "That''s kind of not the point here, but yes, I can, for a period of time." Hateshi answered.


    "What else can you do?" Naruto asked.


    Hateshi sighed, "Can we please get back on topic, I only said the time in your world is stopped, not here, I can''t maintain it forever."


    "Oh! Right, sorry." Naruto scratched his head as he laughed.


    Hateshi sighed again as he continued. "Now, let me explain, right now, you and I are existing outside of your world, and therefore, are no longer bound by the rules of your world."


    Naruto nodded his head as he listened.


    "As such, I am capable of viewing your world''s history in any way I like, I could watch it in reverse or watch it flow chronologically, I can even pause moments and watch them over and over."


    "So like a movie!" Naruto interrupted.


    "Crude analogy, but yes, like a movie." Hateshi replied.


    "Really? So that means you know what will happen next right?" Naruto interrupted again.


    "In a way, yes, I did know that, but now I don''t." Hateshi said.


    "What do you mean?" Naruto asked.


    "You see, Naruto, during your final battle with Sasuke, right before you died, I got an idea."


    "What was it?" Naruto said curiously.


    "What would happen, if I gave you a second chance to do it all over again." Hateshi smiled.


    "Eh!? You sent me back in time!?" Naruto yelled.


    "Yes, I did, now listen!" Hateshi sighed in irritation.


    Naruto nodded as he closed his mouth again.


    "You see, I am an observer, I have no way of interacting with the worlds that I see, so I can only watch as things take their natural course. Even if I develop fondness for certain people, there''s nothing I can do to directly affect their fate." Hateshi began explaining.


    "But then I started thinking, what if, I took someone''s memories from the future, and sent those back to their younger selves."


    "But, it couldn''t be just anyone, it had to be someone with a very strong potential and fate."


    "Why couldn''t it be anyone?" Naruto asked.


    "Hmm, let''s see, how should I explain it?" Hateshi pondered.


    "Ah! let''s say time is a river."


    Naruto nodded his head.


    "The river will flow in one direction, the start of the river is the past, and the end of the river is the future, and the flow is the timeline between the past and future."


    Naruto nodded his head again as he listened.


    "Now, let''s say people are rocks, and their potential and fate determine their size as rocks." Hateshi said.


    "Got it." Naruto replied.


    "What happens when you throw a small rock into the flowing river?" Hateshi asked.


    "Nothing." Naruto answered immediately.


    "Well, it''s not quite nothing, the rock will generate a few ripples but after some time, the flow continues on as if nothing happened." Hateshi explained.


    "But, what happens if you were to place a boulder within the river?"


    Naruto pondered for a moment. "The river would flow around the boulder."


    "Exactly, now, it''s not so easy for the river to flow in it''s original direction, it now must flow around the boulder in whatever direction the boulder lets it flow."


    "Do you understand what I mean now?" Hateshi asked.


    Naruto nodded his head as realization had hit him. "If you hadn''t sent someone with enough potential and fate, then history would just correct itself and nothing they did would matter, but with someone with enough potential and fate, then history would change."


    "Exactly, if I had just picked anyone, then even if they did manage to create a few ripples, the events would still flow as usual and eventually override any ripples that individual created." Hateshi smiled.


    "This is why I picked you, your potential and fate were much higher than anyone else''s, which meant you would have the highest chance of changing history."


    Naruto nodded his head in understanding, now he knew why he found himself back in time, it was because of Hateshi.


    "But how did you send me back?" Naruto asked.


    Hateshi grinned as he began explaining again. "You see, as you were losing your strength, it became easier for me to tap into your memories, then I simply extracted your memories and sent them back to your younger self."


    "But how does that work?" Naruto asked again.


    "Think of it this way, your world is the river, and The Void is the river bank on the side, I can walk upstream or downstream without ever touching the river. But I can also reach into the river and pull out rocks and place them elsewhere. As you were dying, it became easier for me to lift you up, and move you somewhere else." Hateshi explained.


    "I get it now, but how did I end up here now?" Naruto asked.


    "That''s a good question, but I do have a suspicion about it." Hateshi replied.


    "What is it?" Naruto said.


    "The figure that attacked you, do you know what it is?" Hateshi asked.


    Naruto shook his head as he remembered it.


    "It''s a construct of your world. You see, the river will always try to follow it''s natural flow, even when things are placed within it''s path. The construct is a manifestation of your world trying to correct the course of history. Any changes that it detects that will alter the course of history, it will eradicate the problem and attempt to fix the change."


    "Your actions up until now hadn''t had much affect overall, hence why you never encountered the construct, but when you began fighting Zabuza instead of Haku, things began changing greatly."


    "In the original timeline, Zabuza and Haku were meant to die, and would later be brought back using the Impure World Reincarnation technique by Kabuto. They would prove to be troublesome enemies to your allied shinobi forces during the Fourth Shinobi World War."


    "Thus, the world deemed it necessary to eliminate you the cause of the change, and to kill Zabuza and Haku itself in order to correct History. But, when it sent the construct to eliminate you and it pierced your body, I suspect that in that moment, you were able to match the signature of it''s chakra and you were able to link yourself with the world, allowing you to touch The Void, which brought your consciousness here." Hateshi explained.


    Naruto nodded his head as he understood the situation, but he still couldn''t help feeling daunted at the thought of having to go fight against the construct when he went back, he couldn''t even react to it''s moves.


    "Do you still want to go back?" Hateshi suddenly asked, bringing Naruto out of his thoughts.


    "What do you mean?" Naruto asked.


    "I mean, if you go back, you''ll be fighting against the world itself, your existence will be rejected by the world as it tried to eliminate you. Any other person would probably choose to not fight against it." Hateshi answered.


    Naruto thought for a moment, then he looked up with determination. "I''ve always been going up against the world, back then, no one thought I would accomplish anything, and after all of my hard work, they started recognizing me!"


    "This time isn''t any different, I''ll just work harder and change things, I refuse to let all those people die just because that''s what the world wants!" Naruto declared.


    Hateshi smiled at Naruto as he heard Naruto''s declaration.


    "You know, I always enjoyed watching you grow, and meeting you in person... was pretty enjoyable too." Hateshi smiled.


    Naruto grinned back as he placed his hands behind his back. "It''s weird thinking that you know everything about me, while I don''t know anything about you."


    "Well, that''s to be expected, but don''t forget, you still need to face the construct when you return." Hateshi warned.


    Naruto took a more serious look as he nodded.


    "Well, I say that, but to be honest, with how you are right now, you''ll just end up dying without even knowing how you died." Hateshi laughed.


    Naruto couldn''t help but feel disheartened when he heard that, because Hateshi was right, he couldn''t even react to anything it did, so how could he fight back?


    "But, I might be able to help you out." Hateshi smiled.


    Naruto stared at Hateshi as he spoke.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Kakashi, Sasuke, Zabuza, and Haku were all prepared to fight against the strange figure that had appeared. Naruto had fallen unconscious and was still bleeding out from his wound, they had no time to waist. But they knew they couldn''t escape with the figure staring at them.


    "For now, I suggest we team up against whatever that is so we have a chance to get out of this situation." Kakashi proposed.


    "While I dislike the thought of teaming up with you, I doubt I could handle this on my own, so I''ll go along with it for now Kakashi." Zabuza replied.


    Sasuke and Haku nodded their heads as well.


    "Luckily, it seems to only be interested in us, so we can leave Sakura and Tazuna alone while we focus on it." Kakashi pointed out.


    "Well, whatever it is, it''s about to regret making me it''s enemy!" Zabuza commented.


    "We''ll attack together, Zabuza, you eliminate it''s eyesight, while I eliminate it''s mobility, Sasuke, you and Haku will attack together, but remember to stay cautious of it. We don''t know if it can do anything else." Kakashi said.


    The three of them nodded and got into position. Zabuza started forming hand seals as Kakashi took out a scroll and Sasuke and Haku got ready to attack at a moments notice.


    Ox ¡ú Snake ¡ú Ram


    <Water Release: Hidden Mist Jutsu>


    Zabuza activated his jutsu creating a thick mist that covered the area. Kakashi opened the scroll and bit his thumb, then he smeared it across the scroll as he started forming hand seals as well.


    Boar ¡ú Dog ¡ú Bird ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Ram


    <Summoning Jutsu>


    Kakashi summoned his ninja hounds as he sent them to the figure. The dogs bit onto the figure''s form, pinning him down in place.


    Sasuke and Haku moved at the same time at that moment, Sasuke sliced off the figures head while Haku threw needles into it''s chest where it''s heart and lungs should be. Sasuke thought they had done it when suddenly he was kicked away. Haku jumped over and caught Sasuke, while Kakashi knew something was wrong. He quickly started forming hand seals.


    Ox ¡ú Rabbit ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Dragon ¡ú Rat ¡ú Bird ¡ú Ox ¡ú Snake ¡ú Dog ¡ú Tiger ¡ú Monkey


    <Chidori>


    Kakashi rushed towards the figure and pierced his hand through it''s chest where it''s heart should be. But he couldn''t help but stare in dismay, the figure had lifted it''s arm and caught it''s head, then it placed the head back onto it''s shoulders as it gazed into Kakashi''s eyes with it''s own empty sockets. Kakashi felt that something was wrong and tried to pull his hand away but discovered that it was stuck within it''s chest. The figure then raised it''s arm and swung down.

 18 Chapter 18: Overcoming Insurmountable Odds!

    The figure swung it''s arm down onto Kakashi. Kakashi didn''t have any time to react to it as he gazed at the incoming blow. Suddenly the arm flew up into the air as Zabuza had swung his Kubikiribocho upwards, severing the figure''s arm. Kakashi quickly acted by stabbing a kunai into the figures chest, freeing his hand while he and Zabuza quickly retreated.


    "We''re getting nowhere with this Kakashi, is that thing immortal? None of our attacks are working!" Zabuza said in frustration.


    Kakashi could only breath heavily as he silently agreed with Zabuza. Nothing they tried work, and the only reason they were still alive was due to the figures lack of battle experience. It was as if it was a puppet that only acted on basic instincts, there was no will or intent with the figure''s lifeless expression.


    Kakashi still didn''t know what to do since taijutsu and ninjutsu seemed to be useless on it. Which only left him with genjutsu. But even then, he had no certainty that it would work. He glanced over at Naruto and saw that he wasn''t breathing. Damnit! Kakashi cursed his inability to help his student. Naruto''s condition was worsening and he couldn''t do anyrhing about because of the figure.


    "Any ideas Kakashi?" Zabuza asked, he was beginning to feel the hopelessness of the situation they were in.


    "Just one, ninjutsu and taijutsu seem to be useless, so all that''s left is genjutsu." Kakashi replied.


    "We might be able to trap it within a genjutsu and escape, but I don''t have any certainty on it."


    "So it either works or we die fighting huh?" Zabuza summarized.


    "Yeah." Kakashi acknowledged.


    "Then I''ll stall it while you prepare the genjutsu, with any luck, we''ll succeed." Zabuza said as he raised his Kubikiribocho.


    Zabuza rushed the figure as he swung his Kubikiribocho at it, and sliced it''s torso in half. However, the figure''s upper half moved and swung it''s arm down. Zabuza jumped backwards as he placed the blade in front of him to shield him. The figure''s arm pierced through the Kubikiribocho but it had given Zabuza enough time to get away without receiving an injury. He grit his teeth in frustration, if the genjutsu didn''t work, then there was no way for them to win.


    "Zabuza, get back!" Kakashi yelled.


    Zabuza nodded as he fell back behind Kakashi. Kakashi appeared in front of the figure and made eye contact as he formed the hand seals.


    Snake ¡ú Rat


    <Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Jutsu>


    Kakashi then vanished in a swirl of leaves as the figure remained motionless. Kakashi appeared beside Zabuza as his nerves were on edge. This was the moment to find out if genjutsu worked or not.


    "Kakashi! Move!" Zabuza yelled suddenly.


    Kakashi turned around to see the figure right above him, it swung it''s arm down. Kakashi couldn''t move, because if he did, the blow would land on Naruto who was defenseless and was already in critical condition. Kakashi braced himself for the blow but then a figure jumped up from behind him and caught the blow. Kakashi''s eyes widened when he saw Naruto''s figure standing in front of him.


    "So this is what the world feels like?" Naruto said.


    He twisted his wrist and rotated the figure, then he took a step forward and threw a punch that sent the figure flying. Zabuza, Haku, Kakashi, and Sasuke stared wide eyed at Naruto. Naruto turned to face Kakashi and smiled.


    "Everything will be fine now, you can relax now." Naruto said grinning.


    Kakashi stared at Naruto but when he saw Naruto''s eyes, he saw that they were pitch black instead of his usual blue eyes. What''s happened to Naruto? Kakashi thought. Naruto turned to face the figure that got up, but when it did, everyone was shocked to see an expression of anger and fear on the figure''s face. All this time, it didn''t show any emotion facing us? But now it''s reacting to Naruto? Kakashi thought.


    Naruto took a step forward as the figure vanished from his spot. It appeared right behind Naruto and stabbed at him. Naruto ducked, avoiding the blow, then he crossed his fingers and created two clones. The clones jumped up and punched the figure upwards. Then the clones reached down and threw Naruto up into the air above the figure where he rotated and spun, then he kicked the figure, launching it straight into the ground.


    Kakashi and Zabuza couldn''t keep up with the speed of the battle that was taking place, let alone Sasuke and Haku. Naruto grinned as he looked at the figure below him.


    "This is pretty fun! Why don''t we enjoy ourselves some more eh? I don''t get this chance all that often!" Naruto laughed. Then he created two more clones and grabbed onto them so that they could launched him to the ground onto the figure.


    Naruto threw a punch onto the figure but found nothing below his fist when it landed. Then he raised his hand and caught the fist of the figure that had appeared behind him.


    "Come on, you can do better than that!" Naruto smiled.


    However, right at that moment, Naruto frowned as blood started spurting out of his arm.


    "Hmm, looks like this body can''t handle the strain so well, looks like he needs to train more. But I guess I can''t have any more fun, have to end everything now." Naruto said with a frown.


    Naruto narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the figure in front of him.


    -Flashback-


    "But, I might be able to help you out." Hateshi smiled.


    Naruto stared at Hateshi as he spoke.


    "How can you do that?" Naruto asked.


    "Well, do you remember how you let Kurama take over your body during the Fourth Ninja World War?" Hateshi asked.


    "Yeah, what about it?" Naruto asked.


    "It''ll be the same thing, but this time, you''ll let me take over for a bit." Hateshi explained.


    "Oh!.... How do we do that?" Naruto tilted his head in question.


    "It''s simple, you just need to match my chakra signature and it will create a link between us, I will then be able to leave some of my chakra within you to act as a guide for me to tap into your world." Hateshi answered.


    Naruto tilted his head as he listened.


    "Think of it like the Mind Body Switch Jutsu." Hateshi sighed.


    "I get it now!" Naruto exclaimed as he placed his fist in the palm of his hand.


    "Well, we should hurry, I can''t keep your world''s time frozen for much longer anymore." Hateshi said.


    "Got it, so what do I need to do?" Naruto asked.


    Hateshi stuck his fist out in front of Naruto surprising Naruto.


    "I''m sure you''re familiar with this." Hateshi smiled.


    Naruto grinned back as he stuck his fist out and placed it against Hateshi''s. Then Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated to feel out Hateshi''s chakra signature. Once he felt it, he opened his eyes.


    "I got it." Naruto said.


    "Good, now just match your chakra to mine and I''ll establish the link." Hateshi replied.


    Naruto focused his chakra as he matched it to Hateshi''s chakra signature. Hateshi began to make hand seals.


    Tiger ¡ú Snake ¡ú Rat ¡ú Ox ¡ú Dog ¡ú Ram ¡ú Hare ¡ú Snake ¡ú Horse ¡ú Ram ¡ú Bird ¡ú Tiger ¡ú Hare ¡ú Snake ¡ú Dog ¡ú Ram ¡ú Bird ¡ú Tiger ¡ú Hare ¡ú Snake ¡ú Ox ¡ú Ram ¡ú Bird ¡ú Dog ¡ú Rat ¡ú Tiger ¡úRat ¡ú Ox ¡ú Dog ¡ú Boar


    Hateshi then clapped his hands together and chakra formed around his index and middle fingers, he brought his hands away and then touched Naruto''s forehead with his index and middle fingers.


    <Sealing Technique: Phantasmal Time Link Seal>


    Naruto felt a burning sensation on his forehead as a seal was placed on his forehead. Hateshi removed his hand after placing the seal and soon it slowly vanished. Naruto felt his consciousness slipping but struggled to head Hateshi''s words.


    "When you wake up, I''ll take care of the situation, make sure you pay attention to how I handle the construct, because I won''t be able to help you like this every time. After this, I''ll have used up the chakra I stored within you, so the only way to replenish it would be to come back here, and I doubt that will happen very often."


    Naruto''s mind then went blank as he drifted off. When he came to, he saw Kakashi about to be attacked by the construct, but before he could think, his body had already moved.


    -End of Flashback-


    Everyone was watching Naruto face of against the figure, despite being able to agitate it, Naruto''s attacks still didn''t seem to have any affect on it.


    Naruto looked down and saw that the hole in his chest had almost closed up completely. So after everything is finished, Naruto won''t be in any life threatening danger, Hateshi thought. He glanced up at the construct, time to end things I guess.


    Naruto''s figure vanished from his standing position and appeared behind the construct, then he raised his hand and started gathering chakra within the palm of his hand.


    <Rasengan>


    Naruto slammed the Rasengan down onto the construct, launching it straight into the ground. Naruto landed on top of the construct and placed his hands together and gathered his chakra into his finger tips. A seal formed on each finger and he slammed his palms onto the construct.


    <Eight Cardinal Direction Sealing Release>


    The seals began crawling all over the construct''s body, covering it until it''s body couldn''t be seen anymore. Then the body began to turn into a black sphere before rising back into the sky. After it had gone back into the sky, the clouds slowly dissipated. The sun shone down on the battlefield as Naruto looked up into the sky.


    Naruto smiled as he gazed off into the distant, then the black in his eyes receded revealing his blue eyes behind it. Then he closed his eyes as he fell backwards unconscious. Kakashi rushed over and caught Naruto and checked his condition. After a few minutes, he breathed out in relief when he discovered that Naruto''s condition had stabilized. He then sat down with Naruto in his lap as Sasuke, Sakura and Tazuna rushed over. Zabuza and Haku stood off to the side as they looked over.


    "Looks like it''s over." Kakashi breathed out.


    Kakashi looked over at Zabuza and sighed as he stood up. "Looks like our truce is over."


    Zabuza nodded his head as he raised his Kubikiribocho. But before the two could engage each other, they heard a shout.


    "Oi, oi, oi, what''s this Zabuza?! They aren''t dead?!" Gatou shouted.


    Zabuza and Kakashi looked over at Gatou.


    "Well, no matter, you guys seem to have beaten each other close to death, so I''ll relieve you of the burden now." Gatou laughed.


    "Gatou..." Zabuza mumbled as he glared at the man.


    "THE BURDEN OF LIVING THAT IS!!" Gatou sneered.


    "MEN, KILL THEM ALL!!"


    The dozens of men behind Gatou all yelled as they charged forward at Zabuza and Kakashi. Zabuza had veins popping out of his arms and head as he glared at Gatou.


    "Looks like we don''t have to fight Kakashi!" Zabuza said as he changed direction.


    Haku jumped next to Zabuza and readied himself. The two then rushed against Gatou''s men who didn''t stand a chance against the two trained killers. Soon, Gatou found himself facing off against Zabuza himself.


    "Hey....Zabuza....it was just a joke....we can change our deal!" Gatou begged.


    "Too late." Zabuza said quietly before severing Gatou''s head.


    Gatou''s remaining men screamed and ran away in fear after seeing Gatou die. Zabuza turned around and faced Kakashi again with Haku right next to him.


    "Looks like we no longer have a reason to fight." Zabuza said.


    "Looks like that." Kakashi agreed.


    Zabuza gazed at Naruto''s figure before looking back at Kakashi.


    "Tell the kid thanks whenever he wakes up, I owe him for saving our skin." Zabuza said.


    "I''ll be sure to return the favor some other time."


    Then Zabuza turned away and left with Haku. Kakashi looked up and breathed out. Today''s been a long day, he thought as he covered his sharingan. He then picked up Naruto and looked at Tazuna.


    "Looks like you won''t have any more problems with the bridge." Kakashi said.


    "Hahaha, that''s great." Tazuna laughed.


    "HEEEYY!!, EVERYONE!"


    The group turned to see who was shouting at them. Then they saw Inari with all the villagers running towards them. Tazuna began to tear up as he saw everyone running towards them. The villagers gathered around the group and asked about what had happened. Leaving out a few details, Kakashi explained that Gatou would no longer be a problem anymore. The villagers cried happily at the news as they helped the group head back to their village.


    Kakashi turned back to look at the aftermath of the battle, the bridge was mostly intact, but there were a few damaged areas. But it didn''t seem like anything beyond fixing. He sighed as he thought about the report he would have to turn in now, as well as trying to understand what had happened to Naruto. Too many unexpected things happened one right after the other.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Once the group returned, Kakashi and the rest of team 7 stayed at Tazuna''s place while they waited for Naruto to recover. In the meantime, Tazuna and the villagers worked to finish the bridge. After two days, Naruto woke up. Kakashi filled him in on what had happened while he was unconscious. After listening to the situation, Naruto nodded his head, he had wanted to leave as soon as he woke up, but due to his body''s condition, he was forced into bed rest until he was fully recovered. Inari would visit Naruto often and the two would talk about the day and many other things.


    After another two days, Naruto was fully recovered and the team was ready to set off again. By the time they were ready, the bridge had finished.


    So long Inari, make sure you live without regrets!" Naruto said as he grinned down at Inari.


    Inari was crying as he grinned back at Naruto. "I will Naruto!"


    Naruto''s smile broadened at Inari''s words and he turned to leave with Kakashi and the others.


    Tazuna stared at the groups figures walked into the distant. Then he looked down at the bridge.


    "I''ve decided on what the name of this bridge will be!" Tazuna announced.


    The other villagers looked over at Tazuna.


    "This bridge will be a symbol of hope and miracles, it will be called The Great Naruto Bridge!"

 19 Chapter 19: Journey Home! Meeting the Sage!

    Naruto and the others had been on their way back to the village, they had decided to take it easy considering everything that happened in The Land of Waves. Along the way, they decided to stop by a small town within The Land of Hot Water. Sakura was extremely excited as she was looking forward to the hot springs in the town. Sasuke as usual wasn''t showing any sign of excitement toward the idea. While Naruto was also looking forward to it, after everything he learned, he needed some time to sort things out. But when he thought of hot springs, he couldn''t help but remember Jiraiya and all the antics he would get up to whenever they visited a hot springs town.


    He was grinning to himself as they walked up to the inn.


    "Welcome! How many for how many days?" The Hostess greeted.


    "Four for two nights." Kakashi smiled.


    "I think we all have earned a few nights of relaxing after everything we''ve been through."


    The three of them nodded in agreement to Kakashi''s words.


    "One moment please!" The Hostess asked.


    Team 7 gathered in the main hall of the inn as they waited for the hostess to return with their room keys. Once she returned, they payed for the rooms and checked them out. They had gotten two rooms, Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto would be in one while Sakura had the other to herself.


    Naruto went up to the window and looked out across the town as he admired the scenery.


    "Alright everyone, we will be here for a couple of nights, so feel free to enjoy yourselves, but remember, to be on your guard at all times." Kakashi instructed.


    But when he looked up at the trio, he saw that they were all looking at him with weird expressions.


    "Eh? Is something wrong?" Kakashi asked.


    "Jeez Kakashi-sensei, you''re too uptight! You need to relax more!" Sakura said shaking her head.


    "Eh?"


    "Sakura''s right Kakashi-sensei! You need to take it easy the most!" Naruto agreed.


    Kakashi looked over at Sasuke. "Sasuke too?"


    Sasuke didn''t say a word but he still nodded as he closed his eyes and crossed his arms.


    "Seriously?!" Kakashi said surprised.


    The trio all nodded their heads together. As Kakashi had this feeling of being ganged up on as he hung his head down.


    "Cheer up Kakashi-sensei! We''re going to a hot springs!" Naruto laughed.


    The trio grabbed Kakashi and dragged him to the hot springs in the town.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto, Kakashi, and Sasuke were all relaxing in the men''s hot spring while Sakura was all by herself on the woman''s side.


    "Whew, this is nice!" Naruto sighed in relief.


    Naruto stood up suddenly while his eyes were closed. He stretched out his senses and converged his chakra, condensing it within his own body. Kakashi and Sasuke stared at Naruto''s actions with confusion in their eyes. But then Kakashi''s widened as he began see a similarity between Naruto''s actions now and before. During the fight, Kakashi had been analyzing how Naruto and the figure fought. Unlike most battles he had been in, the two didn''t release their chakra often or at all and there never seemed to be any intent in their actions. They just moved, which caused him to suspect that the two never thought about their next step and just did it. But he couldn''t quite figure out how it was done.


    Naruto sensed his surroundings as he breathed in slowly and exhaled slowly. He suddenly sensed a negative intent and moved without thinking. Naruto''s body moved in an instant, before Kakashi and Sasuke could follow, Naruto had arrived by another figure and attempted to restrain the man. The man caught off guard by Naruto''s sudden attack freaked out as he grabbed Naruto''s wrist and spun him away. Naruto landed on the ground and opened his eyes as he held his head.


    "What the hell?" Naruto yelled.


    "You took the words right out of my mouth kid! Who dares to disrupt the research of the great sage of Mount Myoboku!" The man declared as he struck a pose.


    Kakashi''s eyes widened as he recognized the figure in the bath that Naruto had suddenly attacked. It was none other than one of the three legendary sannin Jiraiya.


    "Lord Jiraiya!" Kakashi exclaimed.


    Sasuke seemed interested in the sudden change in Kakashi''s demeanor and his attitude toward Jiraiya.


    "Pervy-Sage!" Naruto yelled in shock.


    "Eh?" Jiraiya and Kakashi exclaimed.


    Naruto realized his mistake and covered his mouth, and coughed to clear his throat.


    "Ahem, I mean, what sage?! You''re just some pervert peaking on the women''s bath!" Naruto declared as he pointed accusingly at Jiraiya.


    "How dare you accuse me of simply peaking!" Jiraiya exclaimed.


    "This is nothing more than pure and incorruptible research for my next novel!"


    Jiraiya then pulled out his books that he had published, and Kakashi''s eyes widened in shock. No way, he thought, it''s the makeout paradise books! He desperately wanted to go ask for the latest addition but held himself back as his students looked at him with suspicion.


    Naruto looked back at Jiraiya and stared at him with narrowed eyes.


    "Any hot girls over there?" Naruto asked.


    "Of course, there were loads of-" Jiraiya suddenly realized the trap he had walked right into as he stared at Naruto in horror.


    Naruto stared back with a smug grin on his face. Jiraiya wished he could find a hole to crawl into and hide himself in. The shame he felt at being tricked by some brat was killing him as he got onto all four of his limbs.


    "Ahem, well, I think we should probably reintroduce ourselves." Kakashi suggested.


    "That''s right! Let''s do just that!" Jiraiya said as he saw a ray of hope.


    "Well, alright, I''m Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto said allowed.


    Jiraiya slightly widened his eyes as he looked back at Naruto, so this is Minato''s son? Jiraiya thought, he does look a lot like him though.


    "I''m Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke introduced.


    So this is the last of the Uchiha clan, he looks a lot like Itachi, Jiraiya thought to himself.


    "We''ve already met Lord Jiraiya, but I''m Hatake Kakashi." Kakashi said.


    "Indeed! Now it''s my turn to reintroduce myself!" Jiraiya exclaimed.


    "No need, we already no you''re a pervert so Pervy-Sage suits you just fine." Naruto interrupted.


    Jiraiya got back onto all fours as he fell into depression at the remark.


    "Now now, Naruto, you can''t be like that with one of the three legendary sannin." Kakashi said.


    Jiraiya looked up at Kakashi with tears streaming down his face.


    "Well, she isn''t here right now, but we have one more member named Haruno Sakura, she''s on the other side." Kakashi continued on.


    Jiraiya quickly recovered as he nodded his head, I have no idea who that is, Jiraiya thought.


    "Anyways, Naruto, why did you suddenly attack Lord Jiraiya?" Kakashi asked.


    "Hmm, I don''t know, I was trying to copy what happened in the fight earlier, and when I suddenly felt negative intent, my body moved on it''s own in response to it." Naruto tilted his head in thought as he tried to remember the feeling he had just now.


    Kakashi stared at Naruto with wide eyes, because Naruto''s words proved his theory that he had. So they really did move based only on instinct, but that still doesn''t explain what happened to Naruto earlier. Kakashi thought about bringing it up, but decided to do so another time. Then he turned to look over at Jiraiya.


    "Lord Jiraiya, what brings you here to this town?" Kakashi asked.


    Jiraiya looked serious for a moment before smiling at Kakashi.


    "Now, now, we can discuss work some other time, why don''t we all just enjoy ourselves for now." Jiraiya laughed. Jiraiya then walked right next to Kakashi and whispered to him.


    "I''m currently tracking intel on a certain snake''s whereabouts."


    Kakashi looked serious as he looked over at Jiraiya.


    "You don''t mean?" Kakashi began.


    "It''s exactly who you''re thinking, but I can see that you have enough worries of your own, so leave this to me Kakashi." Jiraiya said as he patted Kakashi''s shoulder.


    Kakashi sat back down as he thought about the situation, Jiraiya was right, he had to ensure the safety of his team, and they had just finished a difficult mission not too long ago. Jiraiya sat beside Kakashi as Naruto and Sasuke left the hot spring.


    "How is he?" Jiraiya asked.


    "Naruto?" Kakashi asked.


    Jiraiya nodded his head as he looked up into the sky.


    "Naruto''s a wonderful student, he''s constantly surprising me.... and he reminds me of Minato-sensei." Kakashi said smiling.


    Jiraiya smiled as he thought of Minato. Just like Minato huh? He thought.


    "We''ve lost too many good people over the years Kakashi." Jiraiya said.


    Kakashi nodded his head in silent agreement.


    "Let''s do our best to guide the current generation down the right path, that way we can give them a brighter future than the one we were given." Jiraiya suggested.


    Kakashi smiled back. "That''s been my intention from the start Lord Jiraiya."


    "Hahahahah." Jiraiya laughed.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto and Sasuke were walking through the town as some kind of festival was taking place. They stopped by some stall and got some food.


    Sasuke was in thought as he remembered how Naruto fought back then.


    "Naruto." Sasuke called out.


    "What''s up?" Naruto looked over.


    "What happened to you during that fight?" Sasuke asked.


    "Hmmm, well, the best way I can describe it is that it wasn''t me." Naruto said. He had thought it over and felt that it was the right time at least to tell people about his experience with Hateshi, since it would lead into revealing that he was from the future. He also had suspicion that revealing too much information would cause another Construct to appear, which was something he wanted to avoid until he was ready.


    "What do you mean it wasn''t you?" Sasuke asked feeling slightly irritated with Naruto''s lackadaisical attitude.


    "Well it wasn''t me, it felt like I was watching someone else move my body, the fight itself is kind of fuzzy." Naruto said in his defense.


    Sasuke thought for a moment to himself.


    "But you''re trying to learn how your body moved like that when it happened right?" Sasuke questioned.


    "Yeah, I am, I remember that it felt like my senses had opened up and I could see everything around me." Naruto explained.


    "Could you teach it to me?" Sasuke asked.


    "Eh?" Naruto stared at Sasuke.


    "Why?"


    "Because I need to get stronger as quickly as possible, and you''ve started figuring out a way to do that!" Sasuke answered.


    Naruto thought for a moment, the reason Sasuke left was to get power in order to kill Itachi. So Naruto felt that if Sasuke was able to obtain power without resorting to going to Orochimaru then it was a good thing. But he also wanted to make sure Sasuke didn''t kill Itachi since in the end, Itachi wasn''t really evil in the first place.


    "Well?" Sasuke said interrupting Naruto''s thoughts.


    "Well, I''m not against it, but I don''t even understand it completely myself as I''m still trying to figure it out." Naruto answered.


    Sasuke thought for a moment as he contemplated Naruto''s words.


    "Then how about you just explain what you can, and I''ll figure it out myself." Sasuke said.


    Naruto grinned as he looked straight ahead. "Alright."


    The two went back to the inn where they met up with Sakura and Kakashi as well as Jiraiya.


    "What''s Pervy-Sage doing here?" Naruto asked.


    Jiraiya coughed as he heard Naruto''s words.


    "Well, he''s also staying at this inn, so there''s nothing we can do about that." Kakashi explained.


    Naruto looked over at Kakashi and Jiraiya suspiciously but decided to drop the issue, he then walked up to their room and sat by the window. Sasuke had decided to go to sleep and was in his bed while Kakashi was in his own bed as well. Sakura was in her room, and Jiraiya had gone to wherever his own room was. Naruto looked up at the full moon in the sky as he thought about everything that had happened to him. All the training he had ever done as well as all the battles he had been in. He needed to stop Pain before he killed Jiraiya and attacked the hidden leaf, he needed to stop Orochimaru from killing the third and taking Sasuke away. He also needed to stop the Fourth Ninja World War from happening.


    He sighed as all these thoughts filled his head. He then glanced down and saw Jiraiya sneaking around outside. What''s he up to? Naruto thought, then he got dressed and opened his window as he silently crept out. He followed behind Jiraiya as he silently observed him. Naruto witnessed Jiraiya go up to a man and give him something, then the man gave something to Jiraiya and the two separated. Naruto appeared behind the man that Jiraiya met and knocked him out, then he examined his things and found what Jiraiya had given him, which was a note that read: Turn around.


    Naruto felt a chill down his spine as he looked behind him to see Jiraiya standing there.


    "Well, what do we have here?" Jiraiya grinned.


    "Eh?"


    "Now why are you following me Naruto?" Jiraiya asked.


    "Well, I saw you sneaking around so I got curious." Naruto said in defense.


    Jiraiya sighed out as he placed his hand on Naruto''s head.


    "Look, I''m on a very important mission right now, and you can''t be bothering me-" Jiraiya stopped speaking when he saw stars in Naruto''s eyes as he looked at him.


    Jiraiya sighed. "Looks like you''re not going to leave this matter alone.... well, I suppose it shouldn''t be too much of an issue."


    "Alright, Naruto, how about you help me out on my mission." Jiraiya asked.


    "Alright!" Naruto said nodding his head.


    Jiraiya chuckled as he ruffled Naruto''s hair, then he pulled out a picture of a man with a hidden sound forehead protector. Naruto stared at the image and began to understand what kind of mission Jiraiya was on.


    "I''m currently looking for this individual, he has vital intel for the mission I''m on, so it is extremely important that I find him. Luckily, my sources say that he''s in this town somewhere, so I want you to help me find this individual Naruto." Jiraiya explained.


    Naruto nodded as he committed the image in memory.


    "Right, where should I start looking?" Naruto asked.


    "You start where the festival is, if you find him, inform me immediately." Jiraiya instructed.


    "Roger!" Naruto exclaimed.


    The two separated and Naruto headed towards the festival where he began to look through the different stalls while inquiring about the man in the photo. Time continued to pass and Naruto had no luck in finding the person so he sat down on some steps leading up to an old shrine.


    "Man, no one has seen the guy at all!" Naruto sighed dejectedly as he looked at the ground.


    Suddenly Naruto saw feet that walked up to him.


    "Umm, excuse me?" A voice asked.


    Naruto looked up to see a girl about his age, she was his height and had black hair the went to her shoulders, she had green eyes and was wearing a kimono just like everyone else participating in the festival.


    "Do you need something?" Naruto asked.


    "Are you here to pay your respects to the shrine?" The girl asked.


    Naruto looked up at the old shrine.


    "Oh, sorry, I was just taking a break, but I can pay my respects." Naruto smiled.


    He then walked up to the shrine and placed his hands together in respect. After that, he walked back down the steps where the girl was waiting.


    "Umm, do you need something else?" Naruto asked.


    "Oh, I''m sorry, It''s just, no one has been paying their respects to the shrine anymore, so I was surprise when you did." The girl replied.


    "Oh, is that all?" Naruto laughed.


    "Umm, what''s your name?" The girl asked.


    "It''s Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto!" He answered.


    "My name is Ai, Fuyuko Ai." The girl said.


    "Hehe, nice to meet you Ai." Naruto grinned.


    Ai smiled back at Naruto.


    "Well, I need to get back to it, see ya later Ai!" Naruto yelled as he took off.


    Ai waved back as she watched Naruto leave, then she turned back to look at the old shrine.

 20 Chapter 20: Finding the Snakes Trail! Save Ai!

    Naruto ran down the streets of the town looking for Jiraiya. He wanted to let him know that he hadn''t been able to locate the man in the picture. So he wanted to try a different area to search. He thought about where Jiraiya could possibly be, but only one idea came to his mind. He''s gotta be there, Naruto thought as he took off. After arriving at the suspected building, Naruto could hear the loud obnoxious laughter of Jiraiya coming inside.


    Naruto sighed as he shook his head side to side. Of course Jiraiya is here of all places, he thought. He then looked up at the sign above the door. The building Naruto stood in front of was a brothel, he contemplated about how he was going to enter. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder, when he looked over, he saw a woman wearing revealing clothes standing behind him.


    "Hello cutie!" She said in a soothing voice.


    "What are you doing standing in front of a place like this?" She asked.


    Naruto scratched his head and laughed as he came up with an idea. "Sorry, my grandfather is just inside and I was just waiting for him to come back out."


    The lady looked down at Naruto and then looked inside the building.


    "What does he look like?" She asked with a stern expression.


    "He''s an old guy with white hair, red paint under his eyes and wears a green short shirt kimono and matching pants, with mesh armor underneath. He also wears hand guards, a black belt, wooden sandals, and a red haori with two yellow circles on each side." Naruto described.


    The woman nodded as she marched straight into the building. Naruto couldn''t help but try to stifle a laugh as he held his sides and waited. After waiting a few seconds, Naruto heard a loud scream followed by a sound of something crashing. Soon, Jiraiya was sent flying out of the building with two swollen cheeks and a black eye. The woman stood with arms crossed as she glared at Jiraiya.


    "Like I said, I don''t have a grandson!" Jiraiya cried out in defense.


    "Grandpa! Are you going to spend time with me now?!" Naruto yelled as he hugged Jiraiya from the side.


    Jiraiya''s expression paled as he turned to look back at the woman. Her eyes had narrowed as she started walking toward Jiraiya.


    "Wait....I can explain....this isn''t what it looks like!" Jiraiya begged.


    "Hmph!" The woman smacked Jiraiya across the face, then she turned to Naruto and pulled him into a hug.


    "Why don''t you spend time with me, we''ll leave your grandpa out here to reflect on his actions!" She said in a soothing voice.


    Naruto stifled another laugh as he nodded his head. Jiraiya stared at the situation with mixed emotions, but mostly envy as Naruto was being embraced by a beautiful woman. If he could, Jiraiya would cry tears of blood as he stared at Naruto.


    The woman pulled Naruto away as she introduced herself. "I''m Fuyuko Yui."


    "I''m Uzumaki Naruto, do you know a Fuyuko Ai?" He asked.


    The woman blinked in surprise when she heard Naruto mention the name.


    "Ai is my little sister, how did you meet her?" Yui asked.


    "I met her over by the old shrine near the festival in town. I was waiting for grandpa over there but decided to go looking for him." Naruto explained.


    Yui nodded her head as she listened to Naruto.


    "Well, why don''t you spend some time with us?" Yui asked.


    "Thanks for the offer, but I really shouldn''t." Naruto said as he scratched his head.


    "Don''t be like that, I insist!" Yui said soothingly.


    She blew a purple mist in front of Naruto, as he inhaled the smoke his eyes began to glaze over as he lost focus. He then fell into her embrace as she vanished from the area with Naruto in her arms. Jiraiya slowly got up and stretched out his neck as he looked in the direction that Yui and Naruto went in. A small toad poked it''s head out of Naruto''s pocket before going back inside.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Sorry Naruto, Jiraiya thought, but I needed bait to lure her out. He then pulled out a scroll and began writing on it. Then he handed the scroll to a toad, before sending it away.


    "Hopefully Kakashi won''t get too upset with me." Jiraiya mumbled to himself.


    Then he started heading in the direction Yui had taken Naruto. Hopefully nothing unexpected happens while I''m not watching, Jiraiya thought.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Kakashi woke up from his sleep when he suddenly heard a toad''s croak next to him. He looked over and saw a toad sitting on the small wooden table next to the bed. The frog looked at Kakashi before opening it''s mouth wide and extending a scroll out with it''s tongue. Kakashi grabbed the scroll and the frog disappeared in a small puff of smoke.


    He opened the scroll and began reading the contents of it. When he finished, he placed the scroll down and sighed. Looks like Naruto got caught up in whatever mission Lord Jiraiya is on, Kakashi thought. He got up from his bed then he got dressed and left the room quietly. Once he was clear of the rooms, he rushed out into the night to try and locate either Jiraiya or Naruto.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto was laying on the ground when he finally came to, however, as he got himself together, he discovered that he had been chained up and was inside of a cell. Well, this is different, Naruto thought. He glanced around trying to get an idea of where he was, but beyond his cell and the hallway right outside, he couldn''t gather much information. He sat down cross legged and closed his eyes, he stretched out his senses and was able to determine a few people nearby in other cells.


    Naruto opened his eyes as he let out a sigh, he leaned back and landed onto his back folding his arms behind his head as he looked up at the ceiling. Hmm, now, how should I get out of this situation? Naruto thought. Before he could think any further on trying to escape, he heard footsteps coming down the hallway.


    "So you''ve brought a new specimen?" A male voice asked.


    "I have, I think he''s quite the catch." Yui answered.


    "Oh? You''re that confident?" The man asked eagerly.


    "Of course, who do you think you''re talking to?" Yui said in confidence.


    "We''ll see about that!" The man responded.


    The footsteps finally stopped in front of Naruto''s cell. He got back up and looked at the two people looking at him. Then his eyes almost popped out of his head as the man matched the one shown on the photo by Jiraiya. So they were working together, Naruto deduced, then he remembered Ai, is she working with them as well? Naruto questioned in his head.


    "Heheh, you were right, this is quite the catch, the amount of chakra sitting within this brat is enormous!" The man exclaimed.


    "See? I told you didn''t I?" Yui arrogantly replied.


    "Sorry, I just wasn''t sure if you were exaggerating the amount or not." The man apologized.


    Yui looked away and began walking further down the hallway. "Don''t forget our agreement!" She yelled back.


    "Yes, yes, you''ll get exactly what we agreed upon." The man said with a sinister smile on his face.


    He looked back at Naruto as his smile grew even more sinister. He then walked away as he began chuckling to himself. Naruto couldn''t help but feel that the man was way too creepy. The way the man stared at him was as if he was staring at a meal. Naruto shivered at the thought and decided that now was the time for him to make his escape. He looked around his cell, and other than a simple bed in the corner, there wasn''t anything there. Naruto got up and walked around his room, then he sat down on the bed. Suddenly, Naruto felt something move within his pocket, and when he checked, he discovered a small toad sitting in it. So Pervy-Sage suspected something like this might happen, and was already onto Yui, Naruto thought. While he smiled at the thought, he couldn''t help but feel slightly annoyed that Jiraiya had used him as bait. Next time I see him, I''m going to have him make it up to me, Naruto thought. He then started planning out his escape again.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Jiraiya was sitting on a tree branch hidden by the leaves as he observed the old shrine in the town. He had followed the trail, and it lead him here, but he hadn''t been able to discover the entrance just yet. So he had thought about waiting for someone to enter and to follow them in. But, because he didn''t know when that would happen, he was worried about taking too much time. After all, he had let Naruto get kidnapped just so he could find the hideout, something that he regretted doing, and his guilt was only growing as time passed.


    Suddenly, he felt a kunai appear against his neck as a figure was behind him. He looked back and saw that it was only Kakashi, who slowly withdrew the kunai away from him.


    "You scared me there for a second." Jiraiya said as he breathed out in relief.


    "Consider it payback for placing my student in danger. I thought you said to leave it to you?" Kakashi replied.


    "I did, but Naruto followed me, and I knew he wouldn''t leave me alone, so I let him become a part of my plans." Jiraiya explained.


    "I see, now where are they?" Kakashi asked.


    "They''re inside that old shrine over there, but I haven''t been able to locate the entrance just yet. If all else fails however, I can just force my way though." Jiraiya answered.


    Kakashi nodded as he began analyzing the situation as well. He wasn''t keen on the idea of leaving Naruto alone with dangerous people, especially ones with relations to that particular snake. So he began trying to find a way inside as quickly as he could.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto found that he could still use chakra, but he didn''t want to do anything that would create too much distruction. He also discovered that there was a periodic cell inspection done by guards in the place. But while Naruto thought they were guards, they looked more like priests. Regardless, he needed to escape, so after figuring out the rotation schedule, he devised a plan on escaping. Using his chakra he got onto the ceiling and camouflaged himself and waited. A guard was walking down the hallway whe he noticed that Naruto''s cell was empty.


    "How the-?" The guard exclaimed.


    "Quick, inform Lord Higachi! The subject has escaped somehow!!" He yelled


    The man next to him quickly ran in one direction while the one who yelled ran in the other. Naruto made sure they were both gone, then he dropped down, next he coated his hand in wind nature chakra and sliced through the lock. Once the lock was broken off, he pushed open the door and looked around to make sure no one was around.


    "Looks like I''m clear." Naruto mumbled to himself.


    He quickly broke his chains off and then started running down the direction the guard who yelled ran in. He needed to find the exit quickly before that Lord Higachi discovered him, and the further he was away from him, the better, Naruto thought. He started following the passageway down, and surprisingly, for the most part, it was a straight path. Torches lit the hallway he was running in and seemed to cause the hallway to feel more enclosed than usual, as if he were inside a snake. As he ran, he started hearing voices up ahead, while looking for a place to hide, Naruto saw a door, so without thinking any further, he opened it up and went inside, closing the door behind him. He was listening through the door to figure out when the voices had left.


    Suddenly he heard something shifting behind him, he quickly spun around ready to engage in a fight, but when he turned around he saw Fuyuko Ai standing behind him looking surprised.


    "W-What are you doing here?" She asked.


    Naruto kept up his guard not willing to let himself fall for another trap. "What do you mean? I was knocked out and captured, are you not apart of what''s going on around here?" Naruto questioned.


    Ai looked shocked when she heard his words, then understanding crossed her expression as she sat down on her bed. Naruto lowered his guard slightly since he felt that something was going on in this place.


    "I''m sorry...." Ai said as she looked at the ground with a complicated expression.


    "What do you mean?" Naruto asked.


    "....." Ai seemed to be struggling with speaking when the two heard noises behind the door.


    "Quickly, hide over here!!" Ai whispered frantically.


    Without asking, she pulled Naruto into her bed and hid him under the covers with her. Naruto couldn''t help but get red from embarrassment from being so close to a girl.


    "Hey what are-" Naruto began.


    "Shh, they''ll hear you!" Ai whispered as she covered Naruto''s mouth to prevent him from speaking.


    She held him close to herself to make it look like there was only one person under the blankets as much as possible. The door opened and two guards rushed inside.


    "Oi, one of the specimens has escaped! Have you heard anything!?" One of the men asked.


    "No, I haven''t, is something wrong?" Ai asked.


    The two men looked at each other and nodded to each other.


    "Nothing for you to worry about, don''t leave your room!" The man instructed.


    Ai nodded her head as the two left her room and closed the door. Once she felt that they were a reasonable distance away she uncovered her blankets and let Naruto out. She breathed out in relief as they had narrowly escaped detection. Naruto looked confused as he tried to piece together the situation. It only stood to reason that Ai was in league with the people here, so she should have no reason to help him evade detection. But since she did, that meant there should be a reason that she was here. He looked over at her and saw a pained expression on her face as she was biting her lip.


    "What''s going on here?" Naruto asked.


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t know you would get involved in this matter..." Ai apologized.


    Naruto looked at her and couldn''t help but feel sorry for the girl.


    "Tell me the situation, I might be able to help." Naruto suddenly grinned.


    "Eh? What do you mean?" Ai said surprised.


    "Well, I may not look like it, but I''m really strong, so if you explained your situation, I might be able to help you out!" Naruto explained while smiling.


    Ai looked down in thought as she tried to weigh her options. She then looked at Naruto and nodded as she had made her choice.


    "It all began a few years ago. This village used to pay their respects to this shrine to honor the snake god, who represented renewal and strength. My sister and I were priestesses who maintained the shrine. But then a strange man came to this town saying he was conducting research on the snake god. The village agreed to teach him our belief since he seemed to be eager to learn. That was when people started going missing. At first, no one knew what was going on, but eventually we learned that the strange man had been the one abducting them. He would perform horrific experiments on them, turning most of them into something else. When we confronted the man, he had simply said that he was trying to become closer to the snake god. Some of the villagers tried to resist, but those that did were killed. The rest decided to give in to the man''s wishes." As Ai explained her situation, she had started to cry.


    Naruto placed his hand on her shoulder to try and console her. She had been through a lot, and after listening to everything so far, he had a guess on who was behind everything.


    "You don''t have to continue if you don''t want to." Naruto suggested.


    Ai shook her head as she spoke. "No, I need to say it."


    Naruto nodded and waited for her to finish.


    "A year ago, the man left leaving being Lord Higachi behind to be in charge, however my sister and I were given curse marks and forced to form contracts with giant snakes, before he left. He had discovered that my sister and I had a unique bloodline that gave us an affinity for the snakes." Ai explained, then she pulled down her shirt collar and exposed the curse mark that Naruto was familiar with.


    He couldn''t help but get angry at this point, and he was certain on who was behind this. It couldn''t be anyone other than Orochimaru who did this.


    "So why is this Higachi person still capturing people?" Naruto asked.


    "It''s because the man who left sent word that he needed more subjects with unique bodies to experiment on. My sister and I can detect how much chakra a person possesses, and so when I met you, I knew that you would be a possible subject." Ai answered.


    Naruto nodded his head, as he understood the situation.


    "But why didn''t you try to capture me?" Naruto asked.


    "It''s because I didn''t want to be apart of this, but because of that, my sister has to do my work for me." Ai answered.


    "What happens if she doesn''t?" Naruto pressed.


    "They''ll kill me." Ai responded.


    "What? How?" Naruto almost shouted.


    "It''s the curse mark, Lord Higachi has a way of activating it so that it forces us to use up all of our chakra, after which, it will kill us." Ai said.


    Naruto looked down in anger as he grit his teeth and clenched his fists tightly. To force someone into a situation like this was just wrong! Naruto then stood up and started walking towards the door.


    "W-Where are you going?" Ai asked in worry.


    "To go kick that Higachi guy''s ass!!" Naruto said as he looked back at her.


    Then he turned around, opened the door and left, leaving Ai alone in her room. She had watched Naruto leave as she hadn''t completely comprehended his words. But when she did, she got up in a hurry and chased after him.


    "N-Naruto!! Wait!!" She called out to him.

 21 Chapter 21: Narutos Rage!

    Naruto ran back down the hallway he came from, intent on going and beating the shit out of that Higachi guy. The more he thought about all the suffering that Ai had to go through, the more rage he felt building up within him.


    "I swear, I''m going to save Ai from that bastard!" Naruto said to himself.


    He ran past his cell as well as the others, then he saw the two guards in his way. Instead of hiding, he brought his hands together and created two clones. Then he jumped up and grabbed the clones and tossed them towards the guards. The clones created rasengans in their hands and slammed them into the guard''s chests. The guards were slammed into the wall creating two small craters and the clones dispersed afterwards as Naruto kept running past them.


    Ai had tried to catch up to Naruto, but she found that no matter how fast she ran, she couldn''t catch up to him. Just how fast is he? She wondered as she continued to run. Soon she came upon the two unconscious bodies of the guards Naruto had taken care of. Their eyes were rolled up into their heads and foam fell out of their mouths. What happened here? She wondered, did Naruto do all of this? Just how strong is he? As she ran, more and more questions about Naruto filled her head. But even then, she still wanted to stop him because she knew how strong Higachi is, and no amount of guards could compare to the man. She shuddered as she thought about what Higachi would do once he got his hands on Naruto. So she pushed herself to run faster in order to stop Naruto.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Jiraiya and Kakashi had been waiting outside anxiously as they searched for the exit. Jiraiya was getting close to just dropping any form of stealth and charging in. Suddenly, they felt a rumbling beneath the earth, causing the surroundings to start shaking. The two of them were alarmed and felt that it was even more important for them to get inside of the base. However, just as Jiraiya was getting ready to rush down and tear the shrine apart in search of the hidden door, a patch of floor suddenly came up and moved to the side. Then several men in robes rushed out frantically.


    "Run! Quickly! We need to get away as quickly as possible!!" One of the men shouted.


    What the hell? Kakashi thought, he looked over at Jiraiya and the two of them nodded together. They rushed out and pinned down one of the fleeing robed men.


    "Oof!" The man exclaimed as he was slammed face first into the ground. He struggled to look up only to find a kunai right in front of his face.


    "Please don''t kill me!! I''ll talk, just let me go!!" The man begged.


    "Quickly explain what''s happening inside now!" Kakashi instructed.


    The man nodded his head repeatedly. He then took a deep breath and began recounting the events.


    "Everything was fine at first, but suddenly one of the subjects we caught got out." The man spoke.


    Kakashi suddenly placed his kunai closer to the man''s throat. "Continue explaining." Kakashi ordered.


    "Yes, yes, after the subject escaped, we were on high alert as we rushed to find the escapee. That''s when things started going wrong." The man continued.


    -Earlier-


    "What the hell is going on!?" Higachi shouted as he rushed out of his private room.


    "Apologies Lord Higachi, but one of the subjects has somehow escaped." One guard informed.


    "Which one!?" Higachi asked.


    "It was the most recent one that we acquired, the one brought in by the Lady Yui!" The man answered.


    "DAMN IT!!" Higachi shouted as he slammed his fist on a wall causing it to crack and broken pieces to fall to the ground.


    The guard gulped in fear as he unconsciously took a step back.


    "Well? What are you waiting for?! Find him!!" Higachi yelled.


    "Yes sir!" The guard quickly turned on his heal and he ran off.


    Higachi grit his teeth in irritation as he walked to Yui''s room.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto kept running into groups of guards, and the size of each one had been steadily increasing. Seems they''re communicating with each other and are trying to gather where I am. Naruto thought as he took out another guard. In that case, let''s make this more difficult for them. He crossed his fingers together.


    <Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu>


    Naruto had gotten into a large circular room with pathways leading in different directions, so he created about a hundred clones.


    "Alright, each of you group up and follow a different path, and continue to separate as the path splits up!" Naruto instructed to his clones.


    All of his clones cheered in acknowledgement and began following the plan. He then picked a random path and began rushing down it, while his clones rushed down the other paths.


    -present-


    "Suddenly we started picking up requests for help all over the place with sightings of the subject across the compound!" The man said.


    "Must be the shadow clone jutsu." Kakashi surmised from the information he heard.


    Jiraiya nodded his head in agreement.


    "Continue explaining!" Kakashi said as he pointed his kunai back at the man who shrieked as he nodded his head.


    "Yes! Yes!" The man cried out. He couldn''t help but wounder how his luck had gotten so low to the point of being interrogated by these two scary people, he just hoped they wouldn''t notice how he wet his pants earlier.


    -Earlier-


    "Sir, reporting on the escaped subject!" A guard walked in and shouted.


    "Well? Did you find him?" Higachi growled as he continued walking to Yui''s room.


    "Ummm, about that... it seems we have located the subject, but there''s a problem." The man hesitantly said.


    Higachi halted as he turned to face the man. "What...problem?"


    "Well, the subject..... he''s everywhere..." The man said.


    Higachi almost exploded in anger at the man. "Well then, just gather all of them up!! It''s just one kid, how hard can that be?"


    "Well.... ummm.... it appears.... that he''s been taking out anyone that tries to capture him..." The guard explained as he began sweating in fear.


    Higachi snapped when he heard that and grabbed the guards throat and snapped his neck. Another guard nearby was trembling in fear as he watched Higachi kill the poor man who was only doing their job.


    "You!" Higachi pointed at the man.


    "I want you to capture the subject, and don''t come back until you do!"


    "YES SIR!" The guard shouted as he ran away as quickly as possible.


    Higachi then continued on his way until he finally reached Yui''s room, he kicked open the door and glared at Yui''s figure who was sitting at her desk.


    "What''s your problem!?" Yui yelled.


    "Is this your plan!?" Higachi yelled as he rushed and grabbed Yui by the throat.


    "What are you talking about?" Yui breathed out.


    "Don''t play dumb bitch, the brat you brought is apparently going on a rampaging in here!!" Higachi yelled.


    "And you think I had something to do about that?" Yui guessed.


    "How else would some random brat be able to pull this off?!" Higachi hissed.


    "Maybe because the brat was a shinobi!" Yui answered.


    "What?!" Higachi shouted.


    Yui then pulled out a leaf forehead protector from her pocket and showed it to Higachi who had veins popping out of his head.


    "I took this from the brat when I captured him." Yui said.


    Higachi squeezed tighter on Yui''s neck, causing her to struggle to breathe.


    "And you didn''t feel it was important to tell me this fact?" Higachi slowly spoke.


    "You never asked, and I assumed you were competent enough to handle one shinobi kid." Yui gasped out.


    Higachi suddenly released his grip on Yui''s neck, causing her to fall to her knees as she coughed. Then he squatted down in front of her as he grabbed her cheeks and held her face close to his.


    "You are going to solve this problem for me, and if you don''t, you can say goodbye to your little sister Ai!!" Higachi whispered.


    Yui bit her lip in frustration but could only give in to Higachi''s demand as she nodded her head.


    "Good, and I expect to hear good news soon." Higachi smiled as he released her.


    Then he turned and left her alone in her room. She squeezed her fists tightly as she held back tears of humiliation and frustration. She then got up and left her room.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto had lost track of how many guards he had taken out when he arrived inside of a large cavern. A lake was off to his right with a waterfall on the far end. Well, can''t say I was expecting something like this, Naruto thought as he looked around, I wonder what they do in here. Suddenly a large eruption of water shot out of the lake revealing a giant snake''s head and standing on top of it was none other than Yui.


    "Yui!" Naruto shouted.


    Yui remained silent as she started forming hand seals.


    <Snake Mouth Poison Mist Jutsu>


    The poisonous mist was spewed at Naruto who quickly body flickered away in order to dodge the attack.


    "Wait! I''ve met Ai again, I''m trying to help you two!" Naruto yelled out.


    Yui grit her teeth as she had the giant snake attack Naruto. The snake swung it''s tail at Naruto causing him to body flicker away again.


    "Please! I''m trying to help you! Please stop attacking me!" Naruto shouted out.


    "We don''t need your help! Just obediently get captured and go back inside your cell!" Yui yelled back.


    Naruto frowned at Yui''s words and knew that talking wasn''t going to solve anything at this point. But because of the situation, and knowing the reason behind it only caused Naruto to feel even more rage build up inside him. Guess I have no choice, Naruto thought.... first gate, gate of opening.... open!


    Suddenly Naruto''s movements became faster, then he rushed over and hopped onto the snake''s tail that it had swung at him. He began running up the snake''s body and appeared behind Yui who was slow in reacting to him.


    "Time for you to cool your head!" Naruto yelled as he punched her in the gut and sent her flying into the lake.


    Yui''s body created a huge splash as she landed. The snake began to thrash about trying to shake Naruto off. Naruto was worried that the snake''s thrashing would cause further injury to Yui so he quickly formed a clone and the two created a rasengan together. Then he slammed it onto the snake''s head.


    "Stop thrashing around so much!!" Naruto yelled.


    <Big Ball Rasengan>


    Once the rasengan made contact with the snake it launched the snake''s head to the ground, knocking it unconscious. Naruto then jumped into the water and swam to where Yui was, then he carried her out of the water and dragged her to the shore. He checked for her pulse and breathing and found that she was fine, then he breathed out in relief. Naruto then heard footsteps coming up behind him and when he turned around, he saw Ai''s figure running in his direction.


    "Oh! Hey Ai, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked.


    Ai was breathing heavily as she tried to recover her breath and could only stare at Naruto in exasperation.


    "I was.... trying..... to..... stop..... you!" She managed to say in between gasps of air.


    "Eh? Why? Don''t you want to be free of Higachi?" Naruto asked in confusion.


    "Of course!! But not at the expense of you''re life!" Ai yelled.


    Naruto blinked at her before laughing.


    "W-what? Why are you laughing?" Ai asked.


    "It''s nothing, it''s just.. you''re a really kind person Ai." Naruto said while grinning.


    Ai blushed at Naruto''s remark and turned her head away.


    "Shut up.. stupid!" She then stuck her tongue out at Naruto.


    "Ahahahahahah!" Naruto laughed even harder at Ai''s actions, causing her face to redden even more.


    Suddenly, Yui began to stir as she slowly got up while clutching her stomach.


    "Eh? Ai?" Yui exclaimed.


    "Yui?" Ai exclaimed at the same time.


    The two stared at each other in surprise.


    "Oh right, I was fighting your sister until a moment ago and then you arrived Ai." Naruto explained as he scratched his head.


    "Eh? But why?" Ai asked.


    Yui sighed, she saw how the two seemed to be on good terms and couldn''t gather the will to fight against Naruto anymore, especially in front of her little sister.


    "Don''t worry about it Ai." Yui replied.


    Ai nodded her head but still felt some confusion on how and why her sister and Naruto fought each other. Naruto only laughed as the two sisters interacted with each other. The two sisters stared at Naruto as he laughed, but eventually the two of them couldn''t help but start laughing as well. There was just something about Naruto that seemed to make everyone let go of their restraints when around him.


    "GYAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!"


    Suddenly, the three of them heard a laughter coming from the other side of the cavern, when they looked, they saw that it was Higachi walking toward them. He had a mocking expression on his face as he got closer that only got worse as his creepy smile stretched across his face that was covered in scars and burns. Naruto hadn''t been able to get a good look at the man, but when he finally saw him clearly, he couldn''t help but want to vomit. Ai looked terrified as the man approached and Yui could only grit her teeth as she slowly stood up and place Ai behind her.


    "Well isn''t this a touching reunion between sisters!! And look, there''s my special subject that kind Yui had brought to me!" Higachi laughed maniacally.


    Ai stared at Yui in shock when she heard those words.


    "What is he talking about Yui?" Ai asked.


    Yui looked down as she turned away from Ai.


    "Oh?! Don''t you know? You''re dear lovely sister has been abducting subjects for me in order to keep you alive!" Higachi laughed as he glared at Ai.


    "That... that''s not true!!" Ai shouted, she then turned to her sister that wouldn''t look at her.


    "Hey, tell me.... tell me that''s not true!!" Ai pleaded.


    Naruto grit his teeth as his body shook in rage, he glared at Higachi.


    "Oh how scary!!" Higachi mocked before laughing again.


    Yui still kept her silence as she couldn''t bring herself to look at her sister in the eye. Leaving Ai to accept the harsh reality.


    "But why?!" Ai cried out.


    "Gyahahahah, it''s because if she didn''t do so, we would''ve taken you as a subject!!" Higachi answered.


    Ai looked shocked when she heard his words.


    Naruto gripped his fists tightly as he rushed Higachi and appeared behind him. But before he could land a blow, a snake broke through the ground below him with it''s mouth wide open and swallowed him whole.


    "NARUTOOO!!" Ai screamed as she witnessed him get eaten.


    "GYAHAHAHAH!! Was that all?? I thought he''d put up more of a challenge than that!!" Higachi laughed.


    Yui''s eyes were wide as she stared at Higachi, then she formed hand seals quickly.


    <Snake Mouth Poison Mist Jutsu>


    The snake that came out of the ground behind Higachi wrapped itself around him, shielding him from the poison mist. Yui had jumped up and threw several shurikens at Higachi from above, but the snake shielded him from that as well. She grit her teeth in frustration before she was sent flying toward the ground after the snake had swatter her out of the air by it''s tail.


    "Yui!" Ai screamed.


    Yui landed on the ground and coughed up blood. She still managed to struggle and get up however.


    "Oho! You''re still alive, that''s pretty impressive!" Higachi mocked.


    "But that''s how it should be! Otherwise it wouldn''t be enjoyable!"


    He then began walking toward Yui who was barely standing on her feet. Suddenly, Ai stood in front of Higachi with her arms spread out.


    "Don''t touch Yui!" She shouted.


    Higachi looked surprised when he saw Ai get in his way, but then he grinned widely. Yui who was also momentarily stunned quickly snapped out of it as she tried to yell for her to get out of the way. But it was too late, Higachi places his hands together and activated the curse mark on Ai, causing her to collapse onto the ground as her chakra was forcefully drained. She screamed in agony as her chakra was siphoned off. Higachi began laughing crazily like a mad man while he listened to Ai''s agonized screams.


    "Please.... stop... you can have my life!" Yui cried out as she fell to her knees.


    Higachi stopped laughing and stared at Yui and frowned.


    "Well this isn''t fun, oh well, I guess I can do that." He spoke, then he walked right in front of Yui and stared down at her. Yui smiled in relief for a brief moment but when she looked up and saw Higachi''s face, her smile froze. Higachi wore a sadistic smile as he stared at her face as he watched her come to the realization that he wouldn''t spare her sister. Suddenly, he frowned as he looked over at the snake, it''s body had swelled up and wasn''t showing any signs of stopping. Then it exploded as a bunch of smoke filled the area, when he looked closer, he saw that Naruto was breathing heavily in the middle of the remains. Higachi frowned at the sudden turn of events but then quickly made a decision as he turned back toward Yui.


    Yui had a moment of hope light up within her as she saw that Naruto was still alive, but then she saw Higachi above her and her smile froze.


    Naruto was looking around to figure out what was happening, then he saw Ai screaming in agony on the ground and when he looked further up, he saw Higachi standing above Yui who was struggling to stay up. Then he saw Higachi raise up a kunai and swing it down. Time seemed to stop as Naruto''s body began moving on it''s own. Naruto''s eyes were wide as he watched the kunai fall through the air getting closer to Yui. Yui''s eyes closed as though she was accepting her fate. Higachi had a cruel smile plastered across his face.


    Then, the unthinkable happened, Naruto''s exhaustion from using the first gate hit him and he started to collapse onto the ground. His eyes widened in horror as he watched the kunai pierce Yui''s chest.


    -present-


    "Oi, why''d you stop! What did you see!?" Kakashi said in agitation.


    Jiraiya was also restless as well, while the guard was telling them the story, they had decided to listen as they moved. So they were carrying the man as he explained what had happened, but then he had gone quiet toward the end. The man shook as he remembered what he had witnessed, he never would have expected something like that from the small blonde hair kid.


    "Well... I left right after that, so I don''t know what happened." The man said causing both Jiraiya and Kakashi to sigh in irritation, then they dropped the man and picked up their pace, leaving him there.


    The man looked around and slowly stood up, then he turned and ran, fuck this shit, I''m out! The man thought.


    -earlier-


    Naruto''s mind went blank, and the scene he watched just now replayed before his eyes over and over. All he could hear was the sound of Higachi''s laughter filling the cavern.


    Higachi was laughing hysterically when suddenly, he felt a change in the air. He turned over and saw Naruto on the ground who was slowly getting up. Red chakra started forming around him and began swirling around, the air howled as the chakra moved. Naruto''s finger nails began extending into claws while his eyes began turning red and his pupils extended into slits. Naruto glared at him, but what he saw for a second was the image of Kurama roaring at him behind Naruto. Higachi unconsciously took a step back as his hair stood on end.


    "What the hell is this?" He mumbled.


    "What the hell are you!?" Higachi yelled at Naruto.


    Naruto was silent as he continued to glare at the man standing in front of him. His rage toward this person had been building up within him ever since he entered this place, and now it was all coming out at once.


    "I''m going to kill you!" Naruto said.


    "Eh?" Higachi mumbled as he slowly comprehended Naruto''s words.


    Suddenly Naruto had vanished and appeared behind him, then he swung his fist and sent Higachi flying. Before Higachi could react however, Naruto caught up to him and punched him into the ground, creating a crater that grew larger as he continued to pummel the man. Suddenly another giant snake came out of the ground as it tried to swallow Naruto along with Higachi. Naruto jumped up and grabbed the snake''s fangs and rotated his body and pulled. He then threw the snake toward the cavern wall and then he rotated again before landing on the ground. As soon as his foot touched the ground, he launched himself toward the snake and created a rasengan in his palm. Then he thrust his palm forward and hit the snake''s body with the rasengan. The rasengan created a large indentation within the snake''s stomach causing it to vomit. Higachi jumped out of the snake and began running away as quickly as he could.


    Naruto saw him running and took off after him. Damn this brat, what the hell is he? Some kind of demon? Higachi thought. He jumped and turned around putting his hands together.


    <Snake Mouth Poison Mist Jutsu>


    He spewed poison at Naruto causing him to stop in his tracks. Higachi landed on the ground formed the snake hand seal then he slammed his hands down.


    <Earth Release Barrier: Earth Prison Dome of Magnificent Nothingness>


    He trapped Naruto within the dome and breathed out in relief. Now all I have to do is wait and everything will be fine again, he thought. Then he noticed two individuals rush into the room, and when he looked over he saw that they were Jiraiya and Kakashi. The two of them surveyed their surroundings and saw Yui on the ground with a puddle of blood forming around her. Then they saw Ai on the ground as she was silently screaming, her voice had gone after screaming for so long. Then they looked over and saw Higachi with his hands on the ground and a large rock dome in front of him.


    "That must be where Naruto is." Kakashi observed.


    Jiraiya nodded his head in agreement as he bit his thumb and formed hand seals.


    Boar ¡ú Dog ¡ú Bird ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Ram


    <Summoning Jutsu>


    Jiraiya summoned a large toad which he hopped onto the back of.


    "You take care of those two girls over there, I''ll take care of this guy." Jiraiya said.


    Kakashi nodded as he rushed over to where Yui and Ai were. The toad jumped through the air and landed where Higachi used to be as he had jumped away. However, the toad opened it''s mouth and stuck out it''s tongue, launching it toward Higachi and wrapping it around his ankle. Not good! Higachi thought, before he was yanked and pulled toward Jiraiya who had prepared a rasengan and slammed it into Higachi''s chest.


    Jiraiya started forming more hand seals as Higachi fell through the air.


    Boar ¡ú Dog ¡ú Bird ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Ram


    <Summoning Jutsu>


    He summoned another toad and threw it at Higachi, the toad opened it''s mouth and swallowed Higachi whole. Once Jiraiya arrived by the toad, he also stepped into it''s mouth and disappeared into it''s body. When he arrived he found Higachi within the side of the wall of the toad''s insides. Jiraiya walked up to Higachi and woke him up before he started interrogating the man.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    As soon as Higachi removed his hands from the ground, the rock dome fell apart and revealed Naruto who was panting hard while his blue eyes had returned. He looked around and saw that Jiraiya and Kakashi had arrived. Once he saw that the two of them had taken care of the situation, he turned toward Ai and Yui''s direction and made his way there. He saw Kakashi was also there and kept walking. Soon, he arrived by Ai''s side who had stopped moving around and making sound. Suspecting the worse, Naruto bent over and checked her pulse but discovered that it was still there but it was still weak.


    Naruto looked up and saw Kakashi looking at him. Then he glanced down at Yui and looked back at Kakashi only to see him shake his head with his eye closed. Naruto closed his eyes in sadness and fell down onto the ground unconscious.

 22 Chapter 22: Back to The Hidden Leaf! The Chunin Exams Begin!

    Naruto slowly opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling above him. He wasn''t in much of a mood for excitement as the scene of Yui being killed replayed itself over and over within his head. Then when he had tapped into Kurama''s chakra for the first time in this life time. It was different than before, his reasoning had been slipping away as the fight dragged on. His blood lust was overwhelming and the only thing that he felt could satisfy it was if he could tear apart Higachi. But then he was trapped within that dome and he started feeling powerless again. Despite all his hard training that he''d done, he failed to save anyone. If it weren''t for Kakashi and Jiraiya showing up when they did, Ai would''ve probably died as well.


    Naruto closed his eyes again and grit his teeth as silent tears fell from his closed eyelids. He felt weak, truly and utterly weak, so much so, it was funny to him. Somehow, he had gotten it into his head that everything would work out for him. That this time, no one had to die, and that he would be able to save anyone that he wanted to save. He placed his hands over his eyes as his grief began to grow stronger. What was the point of it all? Naruto couldn''t help but wonder. Kakashi was sitting beside Naruto''s bed and was silently watching him. He knew Naruto was a kind and caring person, and he could relate to the pain Naruto felt at this moment. He felt the same pain and had the same feeling of weakness when he witnessed Obito die before him.


    "I understand what you''re feeling Naruto." Kakashi suddenly said.


    Naruto removed his hands as he looked up at Kakashi, and waited for him to continue.


    "That feeling of helplessness and weakness, and all the doubt it creates within you. It eats away at you and makes you feel that everything you did was pointless." Kakashi continued.


    Naruto was silent as he listened to Kakashi.


    "But even though you didn''t save everyone, you did manage to save one of those girls." Kakashi said looking at Naruto with a thoughtful eye.


    Naruto was silent before he sighed and shook his head. "I didn''t do anything, it was you and Pervy-Sage who saved her." Naruto said bitterly.


    "No, by the time we arrived, whatever was harming that girl had already stopped. After I inspected her, I noticed the curse mark and the lack of chakra she had. So I can assume that the curse mark forcefully drew her chakra out." Kakashi explained.


    "I figured that when you began fighting Higachi, he no longer had the ability to divert his attention to maintaining the curse mark''s effect. So you did manage to save her." Kakashi finished.


    Naruto stared at Kakashi, trying to see if he was lying to him to make him feel better. But there was no lie in Kakashi''s eye, and so Naruto leaned back onto his bed as he stared up at the ceiling.


    "Does it ever get easier?" Naruto asked.


    Naruto closed his eyes in thought, then he opened them again and looked back at Kakashi.


    "Thank you." He uttered at almost a whisper.


    Kakashi smiled as he closed his eye. "How could I consider myself your sensei if I didn''t help you in your time of need."


    Naruto smiled at Kakashi''s remark and looked back at the ceiling.


    "Where''s Ai now?" Naruto suddenly asked.


    "She''s resting in Sakura''s room." Kakashi answered.


    "What''s going to happen to her?" Naruto questioned.


    "That''s to be decided. Focus on getting rest and recovering." Kakashi replied.


    Naruto nodded his head and closed his eyes and slept. He truly felt drained of energy, after everything he''d gone through, he felt like he could sleep for a week.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Kakashi left the room after Naruto went back to sleep and saw Jiraiya standing just outside of the room. Jiraiya looked at Kakashi with a serious expression on his face.


    "Is something wrong?" Kakashi asked.


    "I just finished interrogating our little prisoner, and I''ve learned a few interesting things." Jiraiya answered.


    "What did you learn?"


    "He couldn''t provide any specific information, but he did provide me with information on his basic whereabouts. It''s the Hidden Leaf, Orochimaru has gone back to the village. But I don''t know what his goals are, though I have a few guesses." Jiraiya explained.


    "Uchiha Sasuke." Kakashi replied.


    "That''s one likely reason for his sudden return, there''s also the possibility that he''s return to get revenge on Lord Third." Jiraiya said.


    "What will you do?" Kakashi asked.


    "For now, I''ll return to the village with you and your team. I''m also thinking of taking Naruto under me and training him." Jiraiya replied.


    Kakashi looked at him with slight surprise but sighed in relief.


    "To be honest, I was hoping you would, and I can rest easy knowing Naruto''s under your care." Kakashi said.


    Jiraiya nodded his head, and the two walked down stairs to the main lobby of the inn. Sasuke and Sakura were sitting at a nearby table waiting for them.


    "How''s Naruto?" Sakura asked.


    "He''s fine, just needs rest." Kakashi answered.


    Sasuke had perked up to hear as well, but still remained silent. He thought back to when Kakashi told them about what had happened. Sasuke couldn''t help but feel frustrated at the thought of Naruto getting further ahead of him. So he was determined to train even harder once they got back so that he could become stronger than him.


    "How''s the girl?" Kakashi asked Sakura.


    Sakura looked up at Kakashi as she replied. "She''s still sleeping.... what happened to her Kakashi-sensei?"


    "Don''t worry about it, as long as there is no change to their conditions, all we can do is wait for them to recover." Kakashi answered as he sat down at the table with them.


    Jiraiya began heading out of the building as he called out to them. "For now, I''ll be on my own, I''ll be back when you guys are ready to head out again."


    The three of them nodded and went back to discussing among themselves.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto woke up again and found that the sun was beginning to rise into the sky. I wonder how long I was out. Naruto thought. He slowly got up and stretched before he started getting dressed. He walked downstairs and found Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, and Ai all sitting together at a table. Kakashi looked up as Naruto came down.


    "Looks like you''ve finally recovered." Kakashi smiled.


    Naruto nodded his head. "How long have I been out?"


    Kakashi thought for a moment before responding again. "It''s been two days since we last spoke. Ai woke up yesterday."


    Ai looked up at Naruto and smiled weakly at him. Naruto couldn''t help but feel his chest tighten when he saw Ai. He looked down toward the ground as he didn''t know what to say to her. Just as he was about to speak, she stopped him.


    "You don''t need to say anything.... I know you did your best to rescue us both... and if it weren''t for you, we both would still be in that horrible situation." Ai said as she looked at him.


    Naruto looked back down toward the ground as she spoke. Then she got up and walked over to him and pulled him into a hug.


    "Thank you for saving my life, I''m sure my sister would say the same thing as well." Ai said gently.


    Naruto closed his eyes and hugged her back and started to cry.


    "I''m so sorry I wasn''t strong enough!" Naruto sobbed.


    Ai cried as soon as she heard his words and the two stood for a minute in each other''s embrace. Sakura and Sasuke didn''t know what to do in that situation as they hadn''t been there. They silently looked toward the ground. Kakashi remained silent as well, allowing the Naruto and Ai a moment to let out their emotions.


    Once Naruto calmed down he let go of her and took a step back and looked her in the eye.


    "I promise, I''m going to get stronger so that something like this doesn''t happen again!" He said with determination.


    Ai smiled at his words and nodded.


    "I know." She replied.


    The two of them smiled at each other and then joined everyone else at the table. Kakashi cleared his throat, grabbing everyone''s attention toward him.


    "Well, now that we all are completely recovered, we should set out for the village. We still need to report back on finishing our mission in the Land of Waves." Kakashi suggested.


    Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Naruto looked over at Ai before voicing his thought.


    "What about Ai? Is she coming with us or is she staying here?" Naruto asked.


    Kakashi looked at Naruto for a moment then he faced Ai.


    "I think you should tell him." Kakashi said to Ai as she nodded her head.


    Naruto looked over at her with a confused look.


    "I''ve decided that I''ll be going on my own journey, maybe we''ll meet again in the future, but I still need to sort out my own feelings right now." Ai said.


    Naruto was silent for a moment as he took in the words, then he looked back at Ai.


    "I can''t say I''m not a little disappointed, but I understand. I wish you luck on your journey and I hope we meet again." Naruto said with his usual sunny smile.


    Ai smiled back as she nodded her head. Kakashi smiled as well, happy that Naruto was able to have a good resolution with this encounter. The group ate breakfast together, then Ai separated from team 7 as each went their own way. Jiraiya later joined up with team 7 as they traveled on the road. Finally, they made it back to The Hidden Leaf Village.


    Naruto exhaled a breath as he looked up at the large gates. "It feels like it''s been ages since we''ve been here!" He exclaimed.


    The group nodded in agreement as well. They made their way to the training field and discussed what they were going to do tomorrow.


    "Well, I have to report to the Hokage, the rest of you can go home, and we''ll meet again tomorrow." Kakashi said as he began walking away.


    "Have fun kids, and Naruto, come see me later today, I need to speak with you." Jiraiya said as he left as well.


    The three remaining genin looked at each other for a moment.


    "Well, I''ll see you guys tomorrow!" Naruto said as he started to walk away as well.


    "Wait!" Sasuke and Sakura said at the same time.


    Naruto turned around and looked at the two. "What?"


    Sakura hesitated for a moment as she tried figuring out what to say. But Sasuke suddenly took a step forward.


    "Fight me Naruto!" Sasuke said.


    "Eh? Why should I do that?" Naruto asked.


    "If you won''t make the first move, I will!" Sasuke exclaimed as he threw shurikens at Naruto.


    "What the hell?" Naruto shouted as he jumped away and dodged the shurikens.


    Sasuke appeared behind Naruto and pinned him to the ground. Then he placed a kunai against his neck.


    "I know you''re stronger than me Naruto, but if I can best you this easily then it means your head isn''t where it needs to be!" Sasuke said.


    Naruto looked at Sasuke as if he was crazy. "What the hell are you going on about?!"


    "You''re feeling guilty about that girl''s death and you feel responsible for it!" Sasuke spoke.


    Naruto stared at him quietly.


    "But even if that is the case, what about your promise to the other girl? Are you going to let your guilt get in the way of you getting stronger?" Sasuke asked.


    "I don''t see how this is any of your business." Naruto said through gritted teeth.


    "Because one day, I''m going to defeat you at your best. But if you''re still like this, then it won''t mean anything!" Sasuke declared.


    Naruto looked at the ground in thought. Then he vanished and was replaced by a log. Sasuke''s eyes widened before he suddenly felt something poking his back, when he turned, he saw Naruto holding his bo staff out toward him.


    "Man, I can''t believe you''re the one cheering me up." Naruto sighed.


    "Well, if you''re going to be like this, then I guess I better get my act together!" Naruto grinned.


    Sasuke smirked back as he put his kunai away while Naruto put his bo staff back into his scroll.


    "Don''t get too full of yourself, I''m going to catch up to you and defeat you!" Sasuke said as he left.


    Naruto folded his arms as he watched Sasuke leave. Then he looked over at Sakura.


    "I guess you were in on it as well?" Naruto asked.


    Sakura nodded her head.


    Naruto sighed as he looked up to the sky and scratched his head. He thought of Ai somewhere out there figuring things out on her own.


    "I swear, I''ll never be helpless again!" Naruto said as he clenched his fists tightly. He turned and looked at Sakura. "Thanks for helping out!"


    Naruto took off running after he spoke leaving Sakura behind.


    Sakura watched Naruto run off and looked down at the ground. But I didn''t really do anything, she thought to herself, just like last time too. She smiled bitterly to herself, then looked up at Naruto''s shrinking figure in the distance, I won''t let you two leave me behind in the dust. I''ll get strong too, Naruto, next time, I''ll be able to help you when you need it. She started running to her home shortly after making that declaration with herself.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Kakashi was walking down the street while reading his book, suddenly he saw something fly above him. That is? He thought before rushing to the Hokage''s office.


    When he arrived, there were several other jonin already assembled there. After a few more minutes, the rest showed up. The Hokage looked up after exhaling some smoke from his pipe.


    "I am announcing the start of the chunin exams!" He declared.


    "Eh? So soon?" One jonin exclaimed.


    Several other jonins joined in the discussion before the Hokage coughed, gathering everyone''s attention again.


    "Before I go any further.... Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma, Yuhi Kurenai. You three are the jonin in charge of the most recent genin rookies. Do you recommend any of them for the chunin exams?" The Hokage asked.


    "I Sarutobi Asuma, recommend Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, and Yamanaka Ino to take the chunin exams!" Asuma responded.


    "I Yuhi Kurenai, recommend Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuga Hinata, and Aburame Shino to take the chunin exams!" Kurenai replied.


    "I Hatake Kakashi, recommend Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto to take the chunin exams!" Kakashi spoke.


    The Hokage nodded his head, however, Iruka spoke up.


    "Hold on, all of those genin were in my class, and I feel that it is far too soon for any of them to be taking the chunin exams, especially Uzumaki Naruto, he''s not ready!" Iruka exclaimed.


    Kakashi glared at Iruka for a moment before taking a step forward.


    "Iruka, I understand they were your students back in the academy. However, Uzumaki Naruto is in my squad now. I understand best their current capabilities now, and I deemed them to be ready. Especially Uzumaki Naruto!" Kakashi said.


    Suddenly, Guy stepped forward.


    "I understand your pride in your students Kakashi, but I have to agree with Iruka, even I held my own team back a year to gain more experience first." Guy said.


    Iruka was about to speak but was interrupted by Kakashi.


    "But they are not your team Guy, they are mine, and even if you were not confident in your team''s ability, I am more than confident in mine!" Kakashi replied.


    "Enough! Only the jonin in charge of their respective team may decide if they will put them forward. Iruka, stand down." The Hokage interrupted, ending the discussion.


    The jonin stepped back as they listened to The Hokage.


    "Now, I shall explain this year''s chunin exams!" The Hokage exclaimed.

 23 Chapter 23: Training With The Toad!

    The day was coming to an end while Naruto walked through the streets of the village. The sun was setting over the horizon behind him casting a long shadow in front of him as he walked. Naruto had a lot on his mind, first it was finding out about Hateshi and how he was sent back in time. Then it was the Constructs that would appear every time the world tries to reject him when he changes something. Finally, it was his feelings of being weak when he witnessed Yui die right in front of him. He was so caught up within his thoughts that he failed to notice the individual standing in front of him before he walked right into them. When he looked up, he saw Jiraiya standing there looking down at him with a grin on his face.


    "Hahaha, not paying attention to where you''re going? What are you thinking about?? Is it about girls?" Jiraiya laughed as he leaned close for Naruto to whisper into his ear.


    Naruto blinked his eyes before he leaned into his ear and yelled. "Not at all!!"


    Jiraiya immediately jumped back as he held his ear in pain.


    "Jeez, don''t yell like that." Jiraiya said while rubbing his ear.


    Then his expression took on a more serious tone as he stared at Naruto.


    "It''s obvious you were thinking about the girls death." Jiraiya spoke.


    Naruto looked up at him and nodded his head in silence.


    "Look, I understand your frustration, but during the war, I bore witness to many deaths. Sooner or later, you''ll need to learn how to save your grief for another time." Jiraiya told him.


    Naruto looked up into the sky as he sighed out. "I know, everyone is telling me the same thing.... But it''s not that easy!" Naruto exclaimed.


    Jiraiya nodded his head as he understood what Naruto meant.


    "Well that''s good, I''d be more concerned if it was easy for you!" He grinned.


    Naruto looked back at him and smiled as well, then he looked back at the ground.


    "I may be like this, but I will definitely get stronger! I won''t let this stop me!" He said with determination.


    "Hahaha, that''s the spirit!" Jiraiya laughed.


    "Now, I was worried you wouldn''t be interested, but I guess I didn''t need to worry."


    Naruto looked at Jiraiya with a confused look before realizing what was going on.


    "Naruto, I''ve decided that I would teach you, but I understand if you would rather have Kakashi-" Before Jiraiya could finish Naruto interrupted him.


    "Of course I want you to train me! I saw your summoning jutsu, and I really want to learn that!" Naruto said while grinning.


    Obviously there was more meaning behind Naruto''s words, but he couldn''t expose too much, and since he actually did witness Jiraiya use the summoning jutsu, it worked as the perfect excuse for him.


    Naruto nodded his head as he followed behind Jiraiya as he lead the way. Even though he had a lot on his mind, being able to train and spend time with Jiraiya again made him feel really happy and excited. Jiraiya lead the them toward an area in the woods with a small waterfall and stream, the ground was covered in rocks of all shapes with the trees surrounding them.


    "Now then, I''m about to teach you the summoning jutsu, which is a special ninjutsu that allows you to call upon a special animal to help you in battle. For me, I summon toads, now let me demonstrate." Jiraiya explained.


    He bit his thumb are began forming hand seals.


    Boar ¡ú Dog ¡ú Bird ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Ram


    <Summoning Jutsu>


    Jiraiya slammed his hand onto the ground causing smoke to appear in the area before revealing a large toad that Jiraiya stood on top of.


    "Hahahah! Are you impressed yet?" Jiraiya asked with a smug expression.


    Naruto nodded his head rapidly as he remembered the first time he learned the summoning jutsu. He wondered how things would play out this time since he already had nearly perfect chakra control.


    "Alright, now let me try!!" Naruto said excitedly.


    "Hahah, slow down, first, you need to sign a contract with the summon animal. Lucky for you, I happen to have one for the toads right here!" Jiraiya laid down a large scroll he carried with him onto the ground and let it roll open.


    The scroll rolled open and in the last two places, Naruto saw Jiraiya''s name as well as Minato''s name written down.


    "All you have to do is sign your name in your blood, and you''ll be able to summon them." Jiraiya explained.


    Naruto nodded his head as he bit his thumb. Then he started writing his name right next to Minato''s in the next open space. After he finished writing, Jiraiya took the scroll and rolled it back up.


    "Alright, now just form the hand seals while channeling your chakra. Remember, the more chakra you use, the larger and stronger the summon will be." Jiraiya explained.


    Naruto nodded as he listened and started forming the hand seals while gathering up his chakra.


    Boar ¡ú Dog ¡ú Bird ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Ram


    <Summoning Jutsu>


    Suddenly, a large cloud of smoke appeared on the ground covering the area.


    "What the? Where am I?" A voice asked around in irritation.


    Seriously? He summoned him of all the toads? Jiraiya thought in surprise as he jumped away.


    "JIRAIYA! Where are you?! Stop hiding, why''d you summon me?" The voice asked in anger.


    Seriously, why''d he have to summon Gamabunta out of all of them? Jiraiya asked himself as he felt both a headache and a sense of pride filling him.


    Naruto looked down as he remembered the first time he summoned Gamabunta. He couldn''t help but laugh a bit.


    "Hey! Stop shouting so much, can''t you feel me standing on top of you? I summoned you!!" Naruto yelled.


    "What''s this?!" Gamabunta said in surprise.


    He looked up and stuck his tongue out wrapping Naruto up and bringing him in front of him so that he could look at him.


    "What, a little twerp like you summoned me?! Don''t joke around kid!" Gamabunta laughed.


    "Well, it''s true, it''s up to you to believe it or not!" Naruto replied, causing Gamabunta to stop laughing.


    He stared at the kid in front of him and felt reminded of Minato as he stared at him.


    "Okay, let''s say you did somehow summon me, where''s Jiraiya!?" Gamabunta inquired.


    Naruto looked down and soon enough, he spotted Jiraiya in hiding before looking back at Gamabunta.


    "I dunno, he left shortly after I summoned you." Naruto replied as he shrugged his shoulders.


    Gamabunta looked pissed as he stared at Naruto, then he set Naruto on the ground.


    "Fine, I''ll just go look for him, you can go run off now kid!" Gamabunta said as he started to turn around.


    Naruto felt a little irritation as he remembered how Gamabunta always treated him like some punk kid, and never actually listened to him.


    He grinned as he body flickered back on top of Gamabunta''s head. "Hold it! I summoned you, which makes me in charge!" Naruto shouted.


    Gamabunta stared at Naruto in shock as the boy sat down on top of his head.


    "Hahaha, you?! Why should I listen to you?" Gamabunta laughed.


    "Because I said so!" Naruto replied as he stuck out his tongue.


    "Hahahaha, I like your spirit kid, but I only listen to those I respect." Gamabunta laughed.


    Naruto looked down with a serious look before replying. "Then give me a chance to earn your respect!"


    Gamabunta quieted down once he heard those words, and thought for a moment.


    "Alright, then I''ll give you a test, if you can stay on my back until the sun goes down, I''ll listen to you!" Gamabunta answered.


    "Alright, deal!" Naruto agreed.


    "The you better prepare yourself, we start now!" Gamabunta shouted as he jumped high into the air.


    Naruto quickly reacted as he created a clone and threw himself back onto Gamabunta''s head where he gathered up his chakra into his feet to stay on his head. He then looked at the sun as it was setting, looks like I have about two hours, Naruto thought to himself before focusing back onto staying on Gamabunta''s head.


    Jiraiya was watching the situation play out from afar as he chuckled to himself. Looks like Gamabunta is going to test Naruto now. He thought, then he felt the ground shake once Gamabunta landed again, sure glad I''m not over there though, Gamabunta would probably kill me, Jiraiya thought. Guess I should disappear for awhile, I can work on my research while I wait. He thought while grinning like an idiot to himself. Then he body flickered away while Gamabunta continued to jump around crazily, trying to throw Naruto off his back.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Sakura was walking to her home while thinking to herself. How was she going to become useful to the team. She thought about how Naruto and Sasuke fought and always got hurt. She discovered that she hated watching the two get injured and still have to keep fighting despite the injuries they received. Then she noticed that she had walked by the hospital and remembered seeing some of the nurses inside working. She thought back to their mission and remembered just how badly injured Naruto had gotten, it was to the point that for awhile, they weren''t sure if he would survive. Even though Naruto did survive in the end, during the time when he was down, she had been terrified. Then, when they were in that town on the way back, she woke up to find Naruto covered in minor injuries and almost exhausted of chakra. She had no idea what had happened and only found out after Kakashi had explained everything.


    She had felt that if Naruto hadn''t gone off on his own and she and Sasuke had been with him, things would''ve been different. But according to Kakashi, the man Naruto fought was about a mid level jonin. The more she thought about the situation, the more she realized that she wouldn''t have been of much help, and she might have been more of a burden instead. She stared at the hospital for awhile before walking toward it with determination. I may not be much of a help when it comes to fighting, but the least I can do is treat their injuries during missions. She then walked into the hospital and spoke to the nurse at the front desk, who directed her to the head doctor. Sakura was determined to become useful to the team in her own way.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Sasuke was standing in the woods with his eyes closed. He jumped up and threw several shurikens at a tree. Two of the shurikens hit each other changing their direction and hitting the two trees on either side of the tree he''d thrown them at. After landing on the ground he looked at the targets and clicked his tongue after seeing that he was off from hitting the center of the targets. He gathered up his shurikens and resumed his training. I will become stronger than Naruto, he thought as he repeated the action again. This time he hit the targets dead center, he smirked for a moment, then he remembered the fight Naruto had with that thing that came from the sky. He frowned as he tried to imagine how things would have went if he''d fought. Despite thinking about different ways of fighting against it, he couldn''t imagine a way of winning.


    He thought back to the journey back to the leaf and when he spoke to Naruto about how he fought against it. Naruto had told him he couldn''t explain most of what happened, and wasn''t sure if he himself could recreate it perfectly. But he had said that he had stretched out his senses and his body moved on it''s own rather than him thinking about it. But no matter how much Sasuke tried, he couldn''t replicate the feeling Naruto described, which only pissed him off more. He stared up at the sky in thought while clenching his fists, then he resumed his training again.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The sun had almost set completely and Naruto was getting tired from exhausting his chakra trying to stay on top of Gamabunta''s head. But he also took notice of Gamabunta''s slowed down movements. But even if they had slowed down, considering the difference in size, they were still difficult to adjust to. Gamabunta jumped again as he soared across the sky, then he rolled over and shot two water bullets into the sky. The water bullets burst within the air and the water fell back down, drenching Naruto as Gamabunta rolled back over. Naruto''s foot slid toward the side as he grit his teeth and kept channeling his chakra. He had summoned two other clones to help keep him up as well.


    Naruto gasped for breath once Gamabunta landed back onto the ground.


    "You''re pretty stubborn, I''ll give you that kid. But I know you''re reaching your limit, so why don''t you just give up!" Gamabunta persuaded.


    "Heh, you''re just saying that cause you''re getting tired too!" Naruto smirked tiredly.


    "Why you! I was offering you a chance, but I guess you can''t see what''s good for you!" Gamabunta shouted.


    "Heheh..... if you think.... you can make me give up..... then you''d better think again.... Because I''ll never, ever give up!" Naruto replied while gasping for breath.


    Gamabunta grunted as he squatted down and jumped even higher into the air.


    "We''ll see about that!" He yelled back.


    Naruto frowned as he braced himself along with his clones. Gamabunta began rotating in air, spinning faster through each rotation. Naruto then started falling off as his feet slipped off and his chakra failed to keep him stuck to Gamabunta''s back. Naruto''s eyes widened as he grit his teeth and grabbed his clones. They threw him back onto Gamabunta''s back while they fell off and vanished into smoke. Naruto gathered up the remaining chakra he had left and focused it into the soles of his feet. He then stood up straight as Gamabunta landed on the ground. The sun had finally set over the horizon and Naruto was gasping for air.


    "See?! I told you! I''ll never give up!" Naruto said as he fell backwards.


    Naruto fell off of Gamabunta''s back and was falling toward the ground, as he fell however, Gamabunta''s tongue stretched out and caught him. You really did manage to hold on till the end... Gamabunta thought as he placed Naruto back onto his back. Then he looked over and called out.


    "Where''d you find this kid? Jiraiya brat"


    "Heh, we crossed paths while I was investigating in a town some distance away from here. I took a liking to him, he reminds me of Minato sometimes." Jiraiya smirked.


    Gamabunta looked back down at Naruto who was sleeping. Then he smirked and set Naruto down by Jiraiya.


    "I''ll be expecting great things from him then." Gamabunta said before vanishing into a large cloud of smoke.


    Jiraiya looked down at Naruto''s sleeping face. You were able to handle Gamabunta huh? He thought, well consider me impressed Naruto, I never would have thought you could pull that off. Jiraiya grinned as he picked Naruto up and carried him to the hospital where he dropped him off which later caused a large ruckus when a nurse walked out and stumbled on Naruto''s unconscious body.


    "Eh? Why is there an unconscious person here?"


    "DOCTOR!!!"


    Author''s Notes: Well, Naruto can now perform the summoning jutsu. I know there was at least one person that wanted to see a fox summon though. But fear not, cause I did some looking around, and there isn''t anything that says there is a limit on the number of summing contracts one can have. Or maybe I haven''t looked deep enough.... Oh well, I''m still considering that idea, since I''m not really apposed to it. But maybe I''ll have that be a thing in another mini arc I do, I dunno.

 24 Chapter 24: Meeting the Competition! A Promise is Made!

    Naruto had woken up in the morning and discovered to his confusion that he was in the hospital. But when he thought about what had happened the night before, he was able to make sense of what had happened. Then, after finally being let go from the hospital he ran to the training fields to meet up with the rest of team 7. When he arrived, he found Sasuke and Sakura already there.


    "Yo!" Naruto called out with a wave as he ran up to them.


    "You''re late Naruto!" Sakura replied while pointing at him accusingly.


    "Haha, my bad, I ran into some problems along the way." Naruto apologized as he scratched his head.


    "Hmph, at least you''re still here before Kakashi-sensei." Sakura said while crossing her arms.


    "Heheheh." Naruto grinned.


    "Hmm, seems like you''re back to normal now." Sasuke said with a smirk while looking at Naruto.


    Naruto looked over at Sasuke and then grinned. "Yup, I''m back to 100% now."


    "That''s good, but be prepared to be surpassed by me." Sasuke said while grinning as he stood in front of Naruto.


    "Hah, I''m not going to make it easy for you!" Naruto replied as he stared back at Sasuke with a grin.


    Sakura stared at the two as they grinned at each other. She couldn''t help but smile at the two''s rivalry.


    "Yo, looks like everyone is here!" Kakashi said as he appeared in front of the group.


    "YOU''RE LATE!" Sakura shouted at Kakashi.


    Kakashi scratched his head as he smiled.


    "Well, I saw an elderly lady who need help, and then I saw a crack in the road while I was walking, so I had to take the long way around to avoid getting bad luck." Kakashi replied.


    Sakura looked down in defeat as she sighed out. Naruto just laughed while Sasuke remained silent.


    "Now then, I have something for the three of you." Kakashi said as he handed out something to the three of them.


    "What''s this Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.


    As soon as Naruto saw the form his eyes widened briefly. So it''s that time, huh? Naruto thought. He then glanced up at Sasuke before looking back at Kakashi.


    "These are applications for taking the chunin exams this year. I''ve recommended you three for participation." Kakashi smiled.


    "Eh? The chunin exams? Are you sure we''re ready for that?" Sakura asked.


    Kakashi cleared his throat as he began speaking again. "Sakura, I have absolute faith in your abilities, which is why I recommended you three in the first place. But, the participation is voluntary, so I won''t force any of you. The dead line for turning in the forms is tomorrow morning on the third floor in the academy. If you decide that you''ll do it, just show up there with the form filled out. Anyways, I''ll let you guys decide what you''ll do. Later!"


    Kakashi then turned into a cloud of smoke as he disappeared, leaving the three of them alone. Sakura frowned as she looked at the form in her hand, it wasn''t that she didn''t believe Kakashi''s words, but she still couldn''t help but feel doubt in her mind.


    "Hey Sakura!" Naruto called out, dragging her from her thoughts.


    "Eh? What?" She asked startled.


    "Don''t worry about it too much, the answer will come to you on your own. Just go with what feels right!" Naruto grinned.


    Sakura stared at Naruto in surprise for a second before smiling and nodding her head. Naruto then turned and started walking away.


    "Hey, where are you going? Shouldn''t we all discuss about it?" Sakura asked.


    "Nah, Kakashi-sensei said it was voluntary, and I already made a promise to hang out with Konohamaru today! See you guys tomorrow!" Naruto replied as he sprinted off.


    "Then, what about you and me-" Sakura started to speak as she looked toward Sasuke.


    "Sorry, I''ve already got other things I need to do." Sasuke said while walking away.


    Sakura was left standing by herself with the form in her hand. She tightened her fist around as she looked down at the ground. Why was she hesitation? She wondered, both Naruto and Sasuke have already decided to do it. Even when I decided to get stronger yesterday? Why am I still unable to take that single step into the unknown? The other two keep walking head first, while I''m still fumbling around with cautious steps. Sakura slowly started walking as she continued to think to herself. Just what am I going to do? She wondered as she walked.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto was walking down the street heading toward the meeting point he had established with Konohamaru some time ago. While he had agreed to play with him, Naruto couldn''t help but think about training Konohamaru properly this time. As he walked however, he couldn''t help but notice a box following him from behind.


    "That''s it, I know you''re under there! Come out!" Naruto shouted.


    "As expected of the man I see as my rival!!"


    Suddenly the box exploded in front of his eyes.


    Eh? Isn''t that too much? Naruto thought as he was slightly dumbfounded toward the scene before his eyes.


    "Cough, hack, cough"


    "Jeez, I knew it was too much, Konohamaru!"


    "Cough, cough, it''s fine right?"


    "Hey, this smoke is getting into my eyes, it hurts!"


    Naruto sighed as he had guessed the identity of the people coughing within the smoke. As soon as the smoke cleared, three individuals appeared.


    "With the sexiness of an adult! I''m Moegi!" She said as she posed.


    "I love factoring! I''m Udon!" He said as he got into a different pose.


    "The greatest ninja in the village! I''m Konohamaru!" He said as he got into his own pose.


    Then the three of them chanted together. "And together, we form the Konohamaru Gang!"


    Naruto stared at the trio like they were idiots. Then he sighed to himself before speaking. "So? What are you guys doing? I was on my way to meet you anyways, so why do this?"


    "Heh. Heh. Heh. But of course, we needed to test your abilities to make sure you haven''t been slacking on your training!" Konohamaru declared.


    "Shouldn''t it be the other way around? I''m a genin after all, and I only recently came back from a mission too." Naruto replied.


    "Geh! That''s right!" Konohamaru said in shock. Then he got onto all fours in defeat.


    "By the way Konohamaru, what''s with the goggles?" Naruto asked.


    Konohamaru jumped up as he held his goggles out for Naruto to see it better. "We''re just doing what you used to do boss!"


    "I see...." Naruto replied.


    "Eh? What''s with the cold reaction?" Konohamaru complained.


    "Cold? How else should I respond?" Naruto asked.


    "See? There you go again! Giving us the cold reaction!" Konohamaru shouted.


    "Sorry, sorry, anyways, what did you guys wanna do today?" Naruto asked.


    "Lets play ninja!" The trio shouted.


    "But I''m already a ninja, why should I play that?" Naruto asked as he tilted his head.


    "Ah, he''s right!" Konohamaru shouted in shock.


    The three kids then gathered around as they began discussing among themselves. Naruto placed his head behind his head as he looked up at the sky and got lost in his own thoughts. It was nice to be able to just relax without worrying about anything in particular. Suddenly, he noticed a figure walking up behind him, when he looked to get a clearer look, he saw it was Sakura.


    "Eh? Sakura, what are you doing?" Naruto asked.


    Sakura looked up as she was slightly startled. "Oh, it''s just you Naruto. It''s nothing, I was just thinking about some things."


    "Well, if you need someone to talk to, I''m always willing to listen." Naruto grinned.


    "You and Sasuke did help me out yesterday with my own thoughts after all."


    Sakura smiled as she nodded her head.


    "So what are you doing?" She asked looking behind him.


    "Oh, I''m just hanging out with Konohamaru and his friends." Naruto replied.


    Konohamaru suddenly walked up next to Naruto and tapped his shoulder.


    "Hey, boss, who''s the ugly chick with the big forehead?" Konohamaru asked.


    Naruto stared at Konohamaru as if he had just committed the worse sin possible. Then he turned his head toward Sakura only to see her shaking as she began letting out an evil laugh. Sakura looked up while grinning evilly at Konohamaru. Konohamaru felt a shiver run down his spine as he saw the way Sakura was staring at him. Naruto moved in an instant getting in Sakura''s way.


    "Run Konohamaru!" He shouted.


    Konohamaru nodded repeatedly as he turned and ran in the opposite direction. However, before he could get far, he ran into someone. Konohamaru fell and landed on the ground.


    "Ouch!" He said as he rubbed his back as he slowly got back up.


    "Oi, watch where you''re going punk!" The figure said as he picked up Konohamaru by his scarf.


    Naruto stopped paying attention and focused on the newcomer that showed up. His eyes widened briefly before returning to normal. He saw that it was Kankuro, and Temari who had shown up. Kankuro held Konohamaru up while glaring at him. Naruto walked over and grabbed Kankuro''s wrist.


    "Hey, let go of Konohamaru." Naruto said as he watched Kankuro.


    "Hoh, and what are you going to do kid?" Kankuro asked, refusing to let Konohamaru go.


    "I asked nicely, ya know, so don''t blame me for getting rough." Naruto replied.


    Kankuro was about to laugh as if he heard the funniest joke, but suddenly a kunai appeared right next to his throat. When he looked over, he saw another Naruto standing behind him while the other Naruto holding onto his wrist was still smiling amicably. Kankuro could feel sweat drip from his forehead, when the hell did this kid get behind me like this? He thought.


    He loosed his grip, allowing Konohamaru to drop to the ground. Naruto let go of Kankuro''s wrist and started walking away. Kankuro felt ashamed as he had been the one to provoke them first but we instantly put in his place. He couldn''t just simply swallow that as he grabbed the large wrapped up object strapped to his back.


    "Oi, do you think you can simply walk away after humiliating me?!" Kankuro exclaimed.


    Naruto turned back and stared at Kankuro for a moment, his eyes narrowed. "I don''t see how you have any right to complain, you provoked us first, you should be grateful I didn''t kick your ass in front of your team mates."


    Everyone stared at Naruto in surprise. Sakura was especially stunned, since when did Naruto have this side to him? She wondered. Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi stared at Naruto with stars in their eyes as they clenched their fists together, that''s our leader! They all thought. Kankuro grit his teeth in frustration as he felt like he''d just had to swallow a bug. Temari was surprise as she hadn''t expected any of the leaf village''s genin to be like this.


    Naruto grinned in his head while he kept a straight face on the surface. Man, Sasuke had taken the glory last time this happened, I can remember clearly how frustrated I felt in that moment perfectly. It was a pleasant feeling for Naruto since he was finally able to look cool in front of the people he cared about.


    "Oh yeah? Well let''s see your smug expression after I''ve beaten you into the ground!" Kankuro yelled.


    "Stop Kankuro."


    Kankuro stopped in his tracks as he turned his head to see a person standing upside down on a tree branch. Looks like he''s here, Naruto thought as he looked over at the familiar figure.


    "G-Gaara.... it''s a misunderstanding.." Kankuro tried to explain.


    "You''re an embarrassment to the sand village." Gaara replied.


    Kankuro stared in shock toward Gaara''s words. Naruto thought back to the different encounters he had with Gaara before. He also remembered the time they fought against each other. He wondered if he''d have to fight Gaara again, or if he could reason with him this time around. But when he looked at Gaara, Naruto knew deep down, that the only way of getting through to him would be to beat him into submission like last time. Which caused him to sigh a little inwardly.


    "B-but that blonde threatened us first!" Kankuro tried reasoning again.


    "Shut up..... I''ll kill you." Gaara glared at Kankuro.


    Kankuro took a step back as he gulped in fear.


    "Sorry..... y-you''re right..... I''m sorry." He quickly stuttered out.


    Gaara then turned over to look at Naruto.


    "I''m sorry about that." He apologized.


    Gaara jumped down onto the ground and landed in front of Naruto.


    "What''s your name?" He asked.


    "Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto answered.


    "Uzumaki Naruto...." Gaara mumbled to himself.


    "I''ll remember it."


    Gaara turned around and started walking away followed by Kankuro and Temari. Naruto watched the trio walk off, while Sakura walked up to his side.


    "What was that all about?" She asked.


    "They''re Sand shinobi, probably here for the chunin exams that''s coming up." Naruto answered.


    Sakura nodded her head as she agreed with him.


    "Sakura, I won''t lie, the chunin exams will be dangerous, and we''ll be going up against those guys and others like them." Naruto suddenly said aloud.


    Sakura stared at Naruto as he spoke.


    "But I promise, I''ll protect you!" Naruto grinned as he gave her a thumbs up.


    Sakura was surprised by Naruto''s words, but found them comforting to hear. She nodded her head and grinned. She decided at that moment, she was going to participate in the chunin exams, and she would contribute to the team more this time.


    "It''s the other way around, this time, I''ll protect you and Sasuke, Naruto!" She said while smiling.


    Naruto looked surprised to hear her words, but grinned shortly after.


    "It''s a promise then!" He laughed.

 25 Chapter 25: New Rivals Appear!

    After separating Naruto and Sakura both went to their homes. Naruto had promised Konohamaru that after he got some free time, he''d train him. But until then, he''d have to wait and let Naruto focus on the chunin exams. The next morning, Naruto woke up early and went to the training fields. Shortly after, Sasuke and Sakura arrived.


    "Alright, now that we''re all here, let''s see who''s going to participate." Naruto said as he pulled out his filled out application form.


    Sasuke pulled out his application that was filled out as well. Then the two of them turned to look at Sakura. She pulled out her application showing that is was filled out with a smile.


    Naruto grinned while Sasuke smirked.


    "Well, looks like we all are going, so let''s head out!" Naruto said enthusiastically.


    He turned and began walking followed by Sasuke and Sakura. The trio made there way back to the academy building and walked inside. They walked up the staircase and saw a large crowd of people gathered around. Suddenly someone was thrown toward the ground by another person. Naruto looked up and saw that the figure thrown was wearing a green jumpsuit. That''s Lee, he thought, he looked up at the person who threw him, those most be some of the chunin who are weeding out the ones who can''t see through the genjutsu.


    The three of them continued walking up to check out what was happening.


    "Hey! We''re just trying to take the exam! What are you doing?!" Someone shouted.


    Naruto looked over and saw that the one who shouted was Tenten and standing next to her was Neji.


    "Haha, we''re doing you a favor, do you know how many people fail the chunin exams?" One of the men blocking the door laughed.


    "That''s right, so why don''t you just go home so you don''t embarrass yourself." The other mocked.


    Tenten grit her teeth in frustration as she stood up.


    "Stop it, we''re trying to get to the third floor, and you''re making a scene." Naruto said as he walked up.


    "Eh?"


    "Third floor?


    "What is he talking about?"


    The crowd talked to each other as they tried to make sense of Naruto''s words.


    One of the two men looked at Naruto with a curious glance, so one of them finally managed to see through the genjutsu huh? He thought.


    "Seriously, this genjutsu barrier isn''t fooling anyone, right Sasuke? Sakura?" Naruto asked as he looked back.


    The two of them nodded their heads in agreement.


    "That''s right, we''re still on the second floor, so there''s no reason for us to stick around here." Sakura said.


    Suddenly, the sign above the door that read 301 changed to read 201.


    "Hehe, you may have seen through the genjutsu, but do you think it''s that simple?" The man said as he went to kick Naruto.


    Sasuke stared at Lee with wide eyes as well, what''s up with that speed? He wondered, his injuries are already disappearing, was he faking it? Sasuke questioned. The man lowered his leg, while Lee let go, and Naruto''s clone disappeared.


    "Lee! What are you doing? I thought we agreed to lay low so we don''t bring attention to ourselves!" Tenten shouted.


    Neji walked up as well behind her. Lee brought his hands down and bowed in apology.


    "I''m sorry, but...." Lee turned to face Sakura.


    Tenten sighed to herself as she knew what was about to happen.


    Lee walked right up to Sakura and smiled while holding a thumbs up. "My name is Rock Lee, I promise to protect you with my life! Please go out with me!"


    Sakura stared at Lee in shock before immediately replying. "Absolutely not!"


    "Huh?" Lee uttered in surprise.


    "You''re gross!" Sakura finished.


    Lee felt like he''d been punched in the gut as he fell to the floor in defeat.


    Naruto felt kind of bad for Lee, so he placed his hand on Lee''s shoulder. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Lee looked up and saw Naruto looking at him.


    "Hang in there!" Naruto said while grinning.


    Lee stared at Naruto as tears filled his eyes.


    "What''s your name?" Lee asked.


    "Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto answered.


    Lee wiped the tears from his eyes as he stood up straight and stretched out his hand for Naruto to shake.


    "Nice to meet you Naruto!"


    Naruto grinned as he shook Lee''s hand. "Likewise!"


    Neji walked over and was looking at Naruto and Sasuke. "You two, what are your names?"


    Naruto looked over at Neji, but before he could answer, Sasuke spoke up.


    "When asking for someone''s name, you should give your own first."


    "You must be rookies, how old are you?" Neji asked, ignoring Sasuke.


    "I have no obligation to tell you that." Sasuke replied.


    "Why you!" Neji said as he got irritated.


    Tenten smirked to herself as she watched Neji have a hard time dealing with another person. However, before things could escalate further, Naruto stepped in.


    "Now, now, let''s try and be friendly here." Naruto said while smiling.


    The two of them harrumphed and looked away from each other. Naruto could only smile at the situation as he felt a little awkward.


    "Hey, Sasuke, Naruto, why don''t we head to where the exam will start." Sakura suggested.


    "That''s a good idea, let''s go Sasuke!" Naruto said, quickly agreeing with Sakura.


    He looked at her and silently thanked her for getting him out of that awkward situation. Sakura smiled back toward him. The trio then made their way toward where the exams would be held. While Neji, Lee, and Tenten watched the trio. Forgotten by everyone else, the two men that had blocked the door released their transformation jutsu.


    "Looks like Kakashi''s and Guy''s brats passed our little test." One of them said.


    The other nodded. ''Yeah, looks like this year will be pretty interesting for us proctors as well."


    The two of them grinned as they silently watched the kids leave.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Lee stared at Sasuke''s back as they left. Neji did as well for a second before starting to walk away. Tenten followed behind him but turned around when she noticed Lee wasn''t following.


    "Lee, come on!" She called out.


    "You guys go on ahead, I need to do something first." Lee said as he turned around and left.


    "What''s with him?" Tenten asked.


    "How should I know? For now, let''s just go." Neji replied.


    The two of them continued on while Lee went off on his own.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    While walking, Naruto and the others heard someone call out to them from behind and above them. When they looked, they saw that it was Lee. Naruto thought for a second before he remembered that Lee had challenged Sasuke back then.


    "Geh, why is he here?" Sakura exclaimed.


    "Oi, what do you want?" Sasuke asked.


    Lee stared at them for a second before opening his mouth. "You''re Uchiha Sasuke right? Why don''t we fight?"


    "Fight?" Sasuke repeated.


    Sakura looked at Sasuke in worry before looking back at Lee.


    "Why should I fight you?" Sasuke asked.


    Lee jumped down and landed in front of them. "Sasuke, I challenge you to a duel!"


    "Hoh, is that so?" Sasuke replied.


    "My name is Rock Lee, you said when asking for a name, I should give my own. Isn''t that right? Uchiha Sasuke!"


    "So you''re aware of who I am." Sasuke concluded.


    "That is right, and I wish to test my skills against the clan reputed for their genius!" Lee exclaimed.


    "Also..." Lee turned his head to look at Sakura.


    As soon as she saw his gaze, she felt a shiver run up her spine.


    "LOVE!" Lee winked at Sakura.


    "Geh, he''s just too gross!" Sakura shouted as she took a step back.


    "You don''t need to be that dramatic..." Lee said disheartened.


    Naruto was thinking to himself, he remembered that last time, after Lee challenged Sasuke, he had said he would take care of it. But, in the end, he had been defeated, so he wondered if there would be a big difference that occurred if he won this time around.


    "Hey, how about you guys let me handle this." Naruto suggested.


    Sakura and Sasuke both looked at Naruto in surprise.


    "Why do you want to handle him, Naruto?" Sasuke asked.


    "Because people are looking at you and ignoring me, even though we both know that I''m stronger." Naruto grinned.


    Sasuke felt irritated at Naruto''s words, and as much as he wanted to deny them, he couldn''t. Naruto had already proven by beating him on multiple occasions that he was stronger. So all he could do was silently grit his teeth in frustration.


    Hearing Naruto''s words, Lee''s attention shifted to Naruto.


    "The person I want to fight isn''t you though... It''s the Uchiha!" Lee declared.


    "Well, I''ve already beaten Sasuke, so if you beat me, then it means you''re stronger than Sasuke!" Naruto replied as he took a step forward.


    Lee stared in surprise at Naruto, he looked over at Sasuke to see if he would refute Naruto''s claim, but seeing that he didn''t only solidified Naruto''s words. Lee looked back at Naruto with a more serious expression.


    "Then, please fight me!" Lee spoke.


    Naruto nodded and took a step forward, causing Lee to tense up a bit. Naruto continued to walk toward Lee in a casual manner until they were face to face.


    "I''ll give you the first move." Naruto grinned.


    Lee looked at Naruto''s eyes, but couldn''t find any mocking in them. It wasn''t that Naruto was looking down on him, but more like he had that much confidence in his own abilities. Lee couldn''t help but grin as he spoke.


    "Thank you very much!"


    He then took a step forward and threw a punch at Naruto. Naruto smiled as he closed his eyes and focused. He stretched out his senses, he breathed in slowly, and for a second, time seemed to slow down. As he exhaled, he brought his hand up and deflected Lee''s punch, then he took a step forward bringing his other arm close to his chest. He twisted his leg followed by his torso as he extended his arm out with his palm open. His palm connected with Lee''s chest and sent him flying backwards.


    Sasuke stared at Naruto in shock as he remembered the same movements from before back in the Land of Waves. The last time the two of them spoke together, Naruto had said he was still trying to grasp those movements. But this time, it looked as if Naruto had finally gotten a hold of it. Lee gasped out for air as the wind had been knocked out of him by Naruto''s palm thrust. He rotated in mid air and landed on the ground. He looked up and stared at Naruto in shock. What just happened? He wondered, he threw a punch to test Naruto''s abilities, but in the next second he was thrown backward.


    Naruto breathed in again and exhaled slowly, he opened his eyes and looked at his arm. It was shaking slightly, which made him frowned, looks like my body isn''t quite there yet for it, he thought. After spending some time thinking about it, Naruto had realized something about the movements Hateshi had used. Not only did they rely only on instinct and instantaneous movements, but the movements themselves forced the body to use it''s full strength. It was similar to when he opened the first gate. It was probably why his body was injured when Hateshi moved, his body simply couldn''t handle the strain of using it. Even now, after training more, his body just barely reached the required level.


    Then Naruto thought about what would happen if he were to fight like that while opening the gates. The repercussions of it would probably be pretty severe, but he wondered about his accelerated healing abilities due to Kurama''s chakra as well as his own bloodline. Would the two forces cancel each other out, or would his body break down due to the repeated destruction and repairing cycle of fighting like that. But then he wondered about how the bodies muscle was built up in the first place. It was a cycle of tearing apart the muscle fibers and then waiting for them to repair themselves and coming back stronger. So if he continued to fight like that, would it possibly prove to strengthen him instead? He couldn''t help but to consider the possibility of it.


    He looked back at Lee dragging himself away from his thoughts to focus back on the match. Lee had finally stood up after catching his breath again.


    "Would you like to continue?" Naruto asked.


    "Yes!" Lee said as he crouched down onto the ground.


    He sprinted to where Naruto was. Naruto thought about dodging, but then he remembered how Sasuke learned some of Lee''s movements. So he chose not to dodge.


    "Sasuke! Pay close attention!" Naruto yelled.


    Lee rushed in and kicked Naruto up into the air. Naruto grunted in pain as he took the hit, damn.... it really does hurt... He thought. Then Lee appeared behind Naruto in mid air. Sasuke strained himself in order to pay attention to all the details.


    "Prepare yourself!" Lee said.


    Then he flexed his arm and caused the bandages wrapped around it to unravel. Suddenly, a pinwheel flew out and pierced the bandages into the nearby wall. Naruto flipped and landed on his feet while Lee fell to the ground. Naruto looked over to see a tortoise, right.... this happened last time as well, he thought.


    "Lee! You fool!" The tortoise said.


    Lee saw the tortoise and immediately became obedient. He stood at attention in front of the tortoise and apologized over and over again.


    Sakura and Sasuke stared in shock at Lee and the tortoise while Naruto sighed to himself. Then, a cloud of smoke appeared above the tortoise and a figure was seen standing in a pose on top of it. The figure was a more intense version of Lee, and both Sasuke and Sakura were both grossed out by the man. However, Naruto had already met him when he first began training with Kakashi. The man was none other than Might Guy.


    "Lee! Are you prepared!" Guy shouted.


    "Yes Guy-sense!!" Lee replied.


    He had tears streaming down his face as he looked up at Guy.


    "You Idiot!!" Guy shouted as he punched Lee straight in the face, and sending him flying through the air.


    Lee landed onto the ground with a thud while Sasuke and Sakura stared at the scene dumbfounded. Then, Guy ran over and hugged Lee. Naruto sighed as he stood up and walked over to Sasuke and Sakura.


    "We should go, we don''t want to get dragged into this." Naruto suggested.


    The two nodded their heads as they silently agreed with Naruto. However, before they could get very far, Guy called out to them.


    "Wait!"


    Naruto turned around and saw Guy staring at him.


    "Why did you let Lee hit you? I saw the whole thing and I''ve also trained with you and Kakashi, so I know full well that you''re capable of defeating Lee without him being able to hit you." Guy spoke.


    As soon as everyone heard his words they stared at Naruto, especially Lee. Naruto scratched his head as he thought before speaking.


    "Well, I wanted Sasuke to see something." Naruto answered.


    Guy stared at Naruto for a second before nodding his head. "I see, well thank you for not being too rough with my precious student."


    "No problem!" Naruto grinned.


    He then turned to face Sasuke.


    "Sasuke, I want you to take a look at Lee''s hand right now." Naruto said.


    Sasuke looked and saw that Lee''s hand was covered in injuries. His eyes widened in surprise before he looked back at Naruto.


    "That''s the hand of someone who works themselves to the bone, if we don''t keep up with training, one day, he''ll catch up to us and surpass us." Naruto explained.


    Sasuke nodded his head as he looked back at Lee who was busy re-wrapping the bandages around his hand and arm. After looking for a little while, Sasuke turned back to Naruto and Sakura.


    "Interesting.... looks like there are a lot of interesting guys entering the chunin exams!" Sasuke declared.


    Naruto grinned while Sakura just smiled, and the three of them made their way up to room 301. Once they arrived, they walked inside to see all kinds of different people in the room.


    "This is where everything begins..." Naruto mumbled to himself.

 26 Chapter 26: The First Test Begins!

    The group walked into the room and looked around, seeing all the people they would be going up against. Sakura thought back to what happened just before the three of them had entered.


    -Earlier-


    The three of them walked up to the door and saw Kakashi standing there in front of them.


    "Eh? Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing here?" Sakura asked.


    "Looks like the three of you are all here." Kakashi said.


    "What do you mean?" Sasuke asked.


    "Well, what I mean is, that the chunin exams can only be taken by three-man squads." Kakashi explained.


    "Eh? But I thought you said it was up to the individual. Were you lying when you said that?" Sakura asked confused.


    "Well, if I had said it from the start, both Naruto and Sasuke would have most likely forced you to go. If Sasuke had asked you, you would have gone for him... and Naruto as well... But you would''ve done it with a half-hearted resolve." kakashi answered.


    "Then, if I hadn''t decided to go, what would''ve happened to Sasuke and Naruto?" She asked with some hesitation.


    "Then I would''ve stopped the chunin exams for them right here." Kakashi said.


    Sakura looked surprised at Kakashi and then she looked at Sasuke and Naruto.


    "Well, I say that, but in the end, all three of you decided to come on your own." Kakashi smiled.


    The three of them looked at Kakashi as he spoke.


    "You three are a team that I am proud of, so go out there and do your best!" Kakashi grinned as he stepped to the side, allowing them to go in. The three nodded and walked through the doors.


    -Present-


    The trio looked at all the people inside the room, Sakura couldn''t help but feel fear from seeing all the strong looking people. She unconsciously took a step back and gulped. Suddenly, Naruto placed his hand on her shoulder.


    "Don''t worry Sakura, we''re all here with you!" Naruto grinned.


    Sasuke smirked as well when she saw him. She smiled as she steeled herself and took a step forward. Right, I''ve already decided, I''m no longer going to hold these two back, she thought.


    "Sasuke!! You''re here too!"


    The three of them looked over to see Ino jumping onto Sasuke''s back hugging him. Sakura got angry as she stared Ino down.


    "Stop clinging to Sasuke! Ino-pig!" Sakura shouted.


    "Geh, you still have a large ugly forehead, Sakura." Ino retorted.


    "What''d you say?" Sakura said taking a step toward her.


    Naruto sighed as he looked at the two others coming over.


    "Man, this is a drag, you guys are taking this lame exam as well?" Shikamaru sighed as he yawned.


    "Hey Shikamaru!" Naruto grinned.


    Choji walked up beside Shikamaru as he ate from his bag of chips.


    "Yahoo, look who''s all here!"


    The six of them looked over and saw Kiba walking toward them, followed by Shino and Hinata.


    Shino on the other hand remained silent.


    "Sup Kiba!" Naruto grinned.


    "Looks live everyone is here!" Kiba said as he looked at everyone present.


    Naruto turned his head to look at Hinata, who quickly looked away from him when he made eye contact with her.


    Naruto smiled lightly as he scratched his cheek. "Hey Hinata!"


    Her face got red when Naruto called out to her and she lightly waved back without making eye contact.


    "Man, you guys are here too?" Shikamaru complained.


    "Well, well, I guess this means all nine rookie genin are all taking the chunin exams! I wonder how far we''ll go." Kiba smirked.


    "Isn''t that right, Sasuke?" Kiba turned to look at Sasuke.


    "Hmph, looks like you''ve gotten pretty confident in yourself, eh, Kiba." Sasuke smirked.


    "What can I say? We''ve done a lot of tough training, we might even be stronger than you now!" Kiba boasted.


    Naruto stared at Kiba with a frown, was he always this annoying? He thought to himself.


    "Well, only one way to find out, Kiba!" Naruto said as he took a step forward.


    Kiba looked at Naruto with a surprised look before he grinned.


    "I''m s-sorry Naruto..... Kiba d-didn''t mean it..... L-like that..." Hinata said softly.


    "Hm?" Naruto looked over at Hinata who had just spoken, causing her to turn red again and look away.


    Kiba looked over at Hinata as well, and saw her red face, which caused him to wonder what was causing it.


    Suddenly, Choji took a step forward toward Kiba, but was blocked by Shino.


    "Hm?" Choji wondered.


    "Don''t step on it." Shino said.


    "What?" Choji asked.


    "The insect. Don''t step on it." Shino answered.


    Choji looked down and saw the tiny insect that was crawling on the floor.


    "Are you going to eat it?" Choji asked.


    The whole group was silent as they stared at Choji. Naruto wanted to laugh at the whole situation but managed to keep himself under control.


    "Oi! You guys, you need to be quieter."


    The group turned to look at who had spoken to see a kid with glasses and silver hair tied in a ponytail. Naruto tensed up briefly as he saw who it was and grit his teeth together. Stay calm, he thought to himself, can''t go getting out of control right now, otherwise, I''ll definitely have to deal with the World''s rejection and face another construct. I''m still not ready to face off against another one of those without Hateshi''s help. He clenched his fist silently as he glared at the man who appeared. Sasuke, Sakura, and Hinata had all noticed Naruto''s sudden change in demeanor however. Which caused them all to be confused as to why Naruto would react like that toward the newcomer. But even then, Sasuke and Sakura trusted Naruto''s instincts and kept their guard up against the man.


    "You guys must be the nine rookie genin fresh out of the academy. Acting all friendly and carefree with each other, jeez. This isn''t some fun field trip!" The man scolded.


    "Who the hell are you? Acting all haughty for?" Ino exclaimed in displeasure.


    "I''m Yakushi Kabuto, and why don''t you take a good look around you?" Kabuto smirked.


    The group looked around themselves and to everyone''s surprise, except Naruto''s, the whole room was glaring at them.


    "See? You making all this noise is annoying everyone here, and they''re all tense because the exams will be starting soon. I''d thought I''d warn you before anything happened." Kabuto explained.


    "So why don''t you quiet down before embarrassing yourselves further."


    Naruto took one sweep around the room and identified several people, he saw Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, Neji, Tenten, Lee, the three sound ninja under Orochimaru''s control. Then he glanced back at everyone''s faces from his group. They all looked a little guilty to some degree after being scolded.


    "Well, I guess it can''t be helped, you''re all rookies who don''t know anything at all. You remind me of myself when I first started." Kabuto smiled.


    Sakura stared at Kabuto before speaking. "You said.... that we reminded you of when you first started right?"


    "That''s right." Kabuto answered.


    "Then.... is this your second time?" Sakura asked.


    "No.... it''s actually my seventh try at the chunin exams." Kabuto said.


    The entire group stared at Kabuto in shock. This was his seventh try? They all thought. Naruto stared at Kabuto with narrowed eyes. Seventh try, that''s just because he''s not trying to pass the chunin exams, he thought to himself. While he knew he shouldn''t do anything right at this moment in time, he desperately wanted to tear Kabuto apart. If it wasn''t for Kabuto, then so many things could have been avoided. But even then, Naruto held himself together.


    "The exams are held twice a year, so this is my fourth year." Kabuto continued.


    "Then... you must know a lot about the chunin exams!" Sakura concluded.


    "You could say that..." Kabuto laughed.


    "Seventh try? You still haven''t passed yet?" Shikamaru said.


    "Ahahahah, unfortunately, that is the case.." Kabuto scratched his head in embarrassment.


    "Tch.. Man, are these exams really that high of a hurdle, that''s such a drag.." Shikamaru complained.


    "Haha.... Well, why don''t I help out my cute juniors who are taking this exam for the first time? With these ninja info cards!" Kabuto suggested as he pulled out some cards.


    "Ninja info cards?" Sakura asked.


    "They are cards I''ve filled with information over the four years I''ve spent trying to pass the chunin exams. They contain detailed information on several individuals who are participating as well, including you guys." Kabuto explained.


    By this point Naruto had heard enough and stepped forward, anymore listening to this guy was going to piss him off.


    "Oi, what''s the point of listening to someone who''s failed six times already despite all this information you''ve gathered." Naruto scowled at Kabuto.


    Everyone present stared in shock at Naruto, this was something they wouldn''t expect to hear from him. But yet, here it was right before their eyes. Sakura and Sasuke already knew that Naruto had his guard up against the newcomer, but they had suspected it had more to do with him being a stranger than how Naruto acted toward him. Naruto''s actions however made it clear to them that he really disliked Kabuto for some reason.


    Kabuto stared at Naruto who was glaring at him.


    "Hoh, that''s a pretty intense glare you''ve got there." Kabuto commented.


    Naruto scowled even more upon hearing Kabuto''s words. He grit his teeth and stepped closer to him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and brought him face to face.


    "I don''t need your useless information, we''ll pass just fine on our own without your help!" Naruto said through clenched teeth.


    "My, my, you''re pretty scary, I may have to revise my information on you.. Uzumaki Naruto!" Kabuto said as he smiled at Naruto.


    Naruto released his grip on Kabuto and walked away, followed by Sasuke and Sakura, who looked at him with concern and confusion. The others also stared at Naruto as if he was a different person, especially Hinata who was even more concerned about Naruto than all of the others. Kabuto adjusted his glasses as he watched Naruto leave. He smiled underneath his hand that covered his lower face. Uzumaki Naruto huh..... he''s pretty interesting... Kabuto thought to himself.


    Sakura felt concern over how Naruto hadn''t acted like his usual self, she thought maybe it was because of the tense atmosphere of the room. She reached out to try and console him but before she could, a large cloud of smoke filled the room, revealing several individuals standing there. A man in a large black trench coat was standing in the center.


    "Sorry to keep everyone waiting.... I''m Morino Ibiki, proctor for the first test of The Chunin Exams." Ibiki said.


    Everyone stared at the man who had just appeared within the smoke in surprise.


    "Let me say this to get it out of the way... There will be no battles or fighting without the permission of the proctors! But even if you did get permission, actions that lead to death will not be tolerated! Anyone that tries to mess with me will be immediately disqualified from the exams! Understood?!" Ibiki declared.


    The room was silent until someone finally spoke.


    "What''s this? Looks like the exams will be pretty easy!"


    All the proctors that appeared with Ibiki all laughed among themselves, causing the man who spoke to frown slightly.


    "Now then, we shall begin the first test, turn in your applications and take one of these numbers, then sit at the corresponding seat that matches the number you pick up. After that, we will hand out the written paper for the test!" Ibiki instructed as he held out a small piece of paper with a number on it.


    The room followed his instructions as each person walked up and turned in their applications followed by them picking up a number and finding their matching seat. When Naruto finally sat down at his seat he found that Hinata was also sitting next to him. Looks like things really are following how it happened last time, Naruto thought as he remembered what Hateshi told him about the world always trying to follow the correct history. Which meant as long as he didn''t do anything too different, he would know exactly what to expect.


    Once everyone was seated, the papers were handed out one by one until everyone had a copy. Once that was done, the room looked at Ibiki and waited for him to give further instructions while all the other proctors sat on the side of the room with clip boards.


    "N-Naruto...." Hinata called out.


    Naruto looked over at Hinata who spoke to him. "Oh hey, what''s up?"


    "Ummm, a-are you okay?" She asked.


    "Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion.


    "E-earlier, w-with Kabuto." Hinata tried to explain.


    "Oh! I understand now.... yeah, I''m fine!" Naruto grinned.


    "That''s great..... b-but, why did y-you act like that?" Hinata asked.


    "Hmmm, well,I just don''t like him, he rubs me the wrong way!" Naruto said after thinking about how he would explain it.


    "I-I see..." Hinata replied.


    "Yeah, if I were you, I wouldn''t trust that guy at all. Okay?" Naruto said as he looked Hinata in the eyes.


    Hinata turned red and looked down, avoiding eye contact from Naruto.


    Naruto grinned at Hinata''s reactions. "You know, I never really noticed it before, but you''re pretty cute! Let''s do our best together, Hinata!"


    Hinata''s face went beat red as soon as she heard Naruto''s words, she then hid her face within her arms as steam rose from her head.


    "Oi! Hinata, are you alright?" Naruto asked in concern.


    Hinata shook her head up and down without revealing her face.


    "Y-yeah, let''s d-do our best...." She whispered weakly.


    "If you say so.." Naruto replied hesitantly.


    Naruto leaned back into his chair after she said that, but he glanced over at her in concern, he decided to focus on the test in the end however. As long as she said she was okay, he would leave the issue alone. Naruto looked over at Ibiki and waited for him to continue his explanation. Though he already knew what was going to happen.


    "There are several important rules to this test, I won''t be taking questions so listen carefully!" Ibiki announced, causing everyone to sit up straighter to pay attention.


    "First, you are all given ten points each at the start of the test. The written test has ten questions in all. Each problem is one point, and this is a point deduction test, so if you get a question wrong, you will lose that one point!"


    "Second, the pass or fail condition for each team is decided by the total amount of points of the three individuals in each team!" Ibiki explained.


    Sakura suddenly felt a huge headache come on as she glanced at Naruto unconsciously. She knew Naruto had changed a lot since they graduated, but she didn''t know how well he''d do during a written test since he''d always been bad at it back in the academy.


    "The third and most important rule! Anyone the proctors determine to have committed an act of cheating, or something similar, will have two points deducted for each act."


    Several people suddenly exclaimed unconsciously as Ibiki continued speaking.


    "Which means, there may be individuals who will be dismissed during this test, without waiting for test grading."


    The room stared at him in silent as he silently let his words sink in with them.


    "Know that those who are caught cheating, will bring ruin upon themselves." Ibiki said.


    "I''ll be checking you at any time!" One of the other proctors suddenly announced as he stared at the ones taking the test.


    "If you aspire to become chunin, know that shinobi should act like exemplary shinobi!" Ibiki announced.


    Sakura breathed out as she calmed herself. Don''t worry, even if Naruto were to get zero points, both Sasuke and I will be able to cover for him. So there''s no need to panic right now, she thought.


    "Also, in the event of anyone on a team getting zero points... Everyone on that team will fail!" Ibiki said.


    Wha-? What did he say!? Sakura and Sasuke thought to themselves. Naruto suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine, hmm, I wonder what that was? He thought before focusing back on Ibiki''s instructions.


    "Finally, the last problem will be given forty-five minutes after the test starts, the time for the test is one hour!" Ibiki finished.


    Everyone gulped after hearing everything that Ibiki had to say. Soon, time had begun ticking as the test papers were handed out and everyone began trying to solve the problems one by one. Naruto looked over the questions and couldn''t help but feel sweat drop from his forehead. Man, these questions are just as hard as I remember, Naruto thought to himself. Then he tried thinking back to his experience taking the test the first time around. He realized that even if he didn''t answer a single one, as long as he stayed and convinced everyone else to stay, there''d be no problems. Because last time, he hadn''t been able to answer a single question, but was still passed in the end.


    Naruto couldn''t help but grin to himself as he thought up to this point. Hehe, knowing what happens sure is useful, Naruto thought. He then placed his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. But is this really how I want to do things this time? He wondered. As time passed, more and more people began getting disqualified and escorted out of the room. Naruto then thought back to when Ibiki had explained the point of the test. It wasn''t about knowing the answers, it was about cheating without getting caught in the first place. So he began thinking about how he would get the answers. Suddenly, his eyes brightened when he came up with an idea.


    He raised his hand into the air, and said he needed to use the bathroom. One of the proctors sighed and got up and lead Naruto to where the bathroom was. Once they arrived, Naruto created a clone and quickly knocked the proctor out. Then he created another clone and had it transformed into the proctor. After that he hid the original proctor in one of the stalls and left a clone to watch over him, while he and his transformed clone returned to the classroom. After entering, Naruto sat back down in his seat and waited for his clone to memorize the test information. After more time passed, Naruto glanced at his clone who gave him a signal with his eyes. He raised his hand again indicating he needed to go again. His clone took him back to the restroom and there, Naruto caused his clones to disappear and woke the proctor up.


    "Wha- what the? What''s going on?!" The proctor said as he got up.


    He looked at Naruto who stared back at him in confusion.


    "Why are you getting all riled up? You just passed out while I was in the bathroom." Naruto explained.


    The proctor tried thinking back, but could only remember losing consciousness, so he figured he must have been waiting for a really long time and passed out. He cleared his throat and lead Naruto back into the classroom. Once Naruto sat back down he began working on the test and filling out the questions one by one. Man, why didn''t I do this last time? Naruto wondered. After filling out the questions, he sat back into his chair and waited for the forty-five minute mark to hit. When he glanced at the clock on the wall, only thirty minutes had passed. Looks like I got time to spare while I wait, Naruto thought to himself as he yawned.

 27 Chapter 27: The Second Test! The Forest of Death!

    As time slowly ticked by, more and more people were growing restless. But at the same time, the people remaining were all the ones that had been able to successfully get through the test one way or another. Soon, the clock finally hit the forty-five minute mark and the room stared anxiously at Ibiki to give the final question.


    "Now then, I shall explain something very important to you all. The tenth question is a bit special.." Ibiki stated.


    Special? Sakura thought to herself, what could it be? She wondered. Sasuke also had the same question, as did everyone else. Naruto however, knew what the question was, and silently thought to himself, how long should I wait before making my declaration? Last time, he was so caught up within the moment, that he had no idea how long he had agonized over the question before coming to his conclusion. Well, no use thinking about it, I guess I''ll just wait for a bit before making my declaration, he thought as he leaned back and waited patiently.


    "You see, in regards towars the tenth question, you all will be given a choice on whether you answer it or not!" Ibiki explained.


    "Hold on! What do you mean by a choice?!" Someone interrupted.


    "Heh, exactly as it sounds, you can decide right here and now whether you will answer the final question..... However, if you choose not to answer it, you''re entire team will be disqualified immediately."


    "What the hell? Then of course we''d decide to answer the question!!" Temari shouted.


    Ibiki grinned as he continued speaking. "Heh, sure if you decide to answer the question, you''re team won''t be disqualified immediately.... however, should any member answer the question incorrectly, then all members of that team will be banned from taking the chunin exams ever again!!"


    The entire room got quiet as they took in Ibiki''s words.


    "If you decide to not answer the question, your team will be disqualified, but, you may try again next time as well. So, which will you decide?" Ibiki declared as he grinned toward the room.


    All of the test takers had a conflicted expression as they tried to decide on whether they''d answer the question.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Kakashi was sitting in a room with Asuma and Kurenai, the three of them were quiet for a moment before Kakashi suddenly spoke up.


    "So who''s the proctor for the first test?" Kakashi asked.


    Asuma took a drag of his cigarette before exhaling the smoke and speaking.


    "Morino Ibiki." Asuma answered.


    "Morino Ibiki?" Kakashi asked.


    "I feel bad for all the genin taking this test, and there''s a reason for that." Asuma commented.


    "Why is that?" Kakashi asked.


    "It''s because Morino Ibiki is the head of the Torture and Interrogation Force. He knows how to torture the mind without even laying a hand on the person."


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "What the hell!? What about all the people who have taken the exams multiple times before?" Kiba shouted.


    "Heheh, Hahahah. You just got unlucky, I make the rules this time!" Ibiki laughed.


    Everyone in the room were silent as they struggled to make a decision. Obviously, none of them wanted to quit and have to try again later. But the risk of failing to answer the question and never being able to take the chunin exams was too great. None of them were able to make a confident decision on this matter. Suddenly, someone raised their hand up and decided to not answer the question, him along with his two teammates were then escorted out of the room. The room watched as the one who had raised his hand continuously apologized to his teammates.


    The situation they found themselves in was beginning to finally feel real as slowly, several more people decided to give up. Sakura was feeling extremely conflicted, she already found that the difficulty of each question was on the level of jonin, so she knew that most people wouldn''t be able to answer the questions without cheating. Combined with her uncertainty about Naruto''s ability to answer the questions only further increased her doubt as she debated with herself on whether or not they should take the question. She stared at the back of Naruto''s head and thought back to all the time they spent together as team 7. She remembered Naruto''s dream of one day becoming Hokage, and all the effort he''d put in to accomplish that dream. The more she thought about it, the more she was unwilling to let Naruto''s efforts be wasted. Please, she thought, just raise your hand and quit Naruto. She stared at him, begging with her mind for him to quit, but then she remembered how Naruto would never give up in the end.


    So she made a decision as she bit her lip, I''m sorry Naruto, she thought, but I don''t want to risk your dream over something stupid like this. Sakura slowly started to raise her hand.


    Naruto was thinking about how he would proceed during the remaining time of the chunin exams. He leaned back and stared up at the ceiling in thought, he glanced behind him and saw Sasuke and Sakura. Suddenly, his eyes widened in shock as he saw Sakura''s hand rising up into the air. Shit! He thought, and he panicked for a split second within his mind as he was wondering why Sakura was raising her hand. Did she do this last time as well? He wondered briefly before he slammed his hand loudly onto the table, dragging everyone''s attention toward him. His sudden movement had also caused Sakura to freeze her hand in place as she stared at him from behind.


    "Don''t you dare screw with me! You think I''d be scared off just from a little threat like that? It''ll take a lot more than words to make me quit!!" Naruto declared.


    Everyone in the room stared at Naruto as he spoke with conviction.


    "It doesn''t matter how it turns out in the end, even if I do become stuck as a genin, I''ll still make my dream of becoming Hokage come true! I''ll never turn my back or run from a challenge just because it''s difficult!!"


    Naruto stood up from his seat as he stared straight at Ibiki. "You can''t scare me!"


    Then he sat back down into his chair and crossed his arms, then he glanced back behind him at Sakura.


    Sakura lowered her hand and felt silly, thinking about trying to protect Naruto''s dream for him. She smiled as she remembered clearly how Naruto was. Seeing Sakura not showing any intention of raising her hand again, Naruto breathed out a sigh of relief, he managed to dodge a bullet just then. He really couldn''t let his guard down just because he knows how things would play out. Sasuke also smirked to himself after listening to Naruto''s words and relaxed his shoulder.


    Hinata looked over at Naruto and smiled, she was glad that Naruto wasn''t intimidated by the tenth question.


    Ibiki stared straight at Naruto before opening his mouth again. "I''ll say it once more, this question will alter your life, now is your only chance to quit!"


    Naruto stared back at Ibiki as he replied. "I don''t take back my words, that''s my ninja way!"


    Ibiki stared at Naruto, then he glanced at everyone else in the room. Heh, this kid''s pretty interesting, he was able to relight the fire within all of them with his words. It''s pretty pointless for me to drag this out any longer, they''ve all resolved themselves to answer the final question without any hesitation. Ibiki smiled to himself after he finished observing the expressions of everyone present in the room. Looks like there are seventy-eight left, a lot more than I was expecting, but it doesn''t matter. Ibiki glanced at the other proctors, and they nodded toward him, he nodded back in response as he finally made his decision.


    "I''ll praise you for your determination! For those still remaining.... You all pass!" Ibiki announced.


    The room got quiet as they stared at Ibiki, Naruto just smiled as he knew this was going to happen.


    "Wait.. W-What do you mean?" Sakura asked as she stood up.


    "How could we have passed? What happened to the tenth question?"


    Ibiki suddenly grinned and laughed before speaking. "There wasn''t a tenth question at all, well, I guess you could consider the choice itself as the tenth question."


    "Huh?" Sakura exclaimed in confusion.


    "Then what was the purpose of the other nine questions? Was is just a waste of time?!" Temari shouted.


    Ibiki grinned in response. "The nine questions were not a waste of time, however, the objective of them had already been accomplished. Which is information gathering!"


    "Information gathering?" Sakura repeated.


    "You see, in the world of shinobi, there will be times when your mission is to gather intelligence, and there are times when that intelligence is more important than your lives!" Ibiki said as he began to remove his black bandanna that was wrapped around his head.


    Once he finished removing it, everyone in the room was able to see all the scars and burn marks indicating signs of torture on his head.


    "The ability to gather information is one thing, but being able to gather it without being caught is another. This is why we deducted points every time we caught you cheating. The test''s difficulty was designed to force you to cheat, however, we wanted to see if you could cheat without being caught!" Ibiki explained.


    "So that''s it!" Sakura said after understanding the reason.


    "But what about the tenth question? What was the point of that?" Temari asked.


    "The tenth question was testing something else, which was the whole point of this exam!" Ibiki declared.


    "Something else?" Someone asked.


    "The choices you were given were whether or not you would answer the question. If you chose not to, then you and your team would be disqualified, If you did chose to answer, and you got it incorrectly, then you would be disqualified and banned from taking the chunin exams."


    "Now imagine that instead of choosing to answer a question, it was choosing whether you would accept a mission."


    "You can''t always escape from taking dangerous missions, therefore, we were testing on your ability to accept a difficult task even if it meant the possible loss of your teammates lives. As a chunin team leader, you are responsible for your team, so you must be able to make difficult decisions." Ibiki explained.


    "I wish you all well in the coming trials, congratulations on finishing the first test of the chunin exams!" Ibiki smiled.


    Everyone in the room nodded their heads as they understood the point. Then after realizing everything and that they all passed, their expressions lightened up. Suddenly, the window shattered and a ball came crashing in before extending out into a large banner that was pinned to the ceiling by kunais on each corner. A figure then appeared in front of the banner.


    "It''s too soon for celebrations! I''m the proctor for the second test of the chunin exams! Mitarashi Anko!" She declared.


    "Let''s head to the next stage! Everyone, follow me!" She exclaimed.


    The room stared at Anko with wide eyes as Ibiki stepped out from behind the banner.


    "Read the room!" He said as Anko shook in embarrassment.


    Anko shook her head and did a quick head count of how many people were left, after she finished counting, she stared at Ibiki in shock.


    "Seventy-eight people left? You let twenty-six teams get past you Ibiki?!" She asked in surprise.


    "I guess this means your test was just too easy."


    "This time, there''s a lot of excellent candidates around, I wouldn''t underestimate them if I were you, Anko!" Ibiki retorted.


    "Hoh? Well no matter, I''ll drop more than half of em in the next test!" Anko replied with a chilling grin.


    Sakura flinched as soon as she heard Anko''s words. More than half? She thought, what kind of test could it be?


    "Man, I''m getting pretty excited just thinking about it." Anko said, then she looked serious as she addressed the room.


    "I''ll explain the details tomorrow, the location will change, so get the information from your jonin about the time and place! Alright? Dismissed!"


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The room was empty as Ibiki was busy collecting the written test papers. He glanced over at Naruto''s answers as soon as he picked it up. Looks like he knew what he was doing, Ibiki thought, I''m looking forward to seeing how he performs later on. Then he smiled to himself and continued picking up the rest of the sheets.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    All the examinees were gathered around in front of a tall fence that separated them from a large forest. A sign was posted on the fence that read do not enter, and the entire atmosphere of the forest felt ominous. Naruto stared at the large trees with a serious expression as he thought about what would happen once they were inside. Looks like I''ll have to be extra careful, I know Orochimaru will launch an ambush on us in order to place the curse mark on Sasuke. But I really don''t want to let that happen this time, which means in all likely hood, I''ll experience another World''s Rejection. But, if I play this right, I might be able to use it toward my advantage against Orochimaru. Naruto turned his attention toward Anko as she made her way in front of the group.


    "This is the place for the second test, the forty-forth training field... Also known as... The Forest of Death!" She grinned.


    The group stared at her as the wind picked up and blew past them, causing the leaves to fly around, adding to the ominous feeling they got from the woods. Several of the examinees unconsciously took a step back and gulped in fear. Naruto steeled himself as he prepared his mind for the upcoming tasks, he couldn''t drop his guard for a second as soon as they entered. This was going to be his next major change on history.

 28 Chapter 28: Enter The Forest of Death!

    "This is the place for the second test, the forty-forth training field... Also known as... The Forest of Death!" Anko grinned.


    Several people gulped in fear as they looked up at the large menacing trees. They peered into the depths of the forests and found that little to no sunlight could pierce through the tops of the trees.


    "there''s a reason why this place is called The Forest of Death, and you all will soon learn why that is."


    Naruto looked up at the sky as he stopped paying attention to Anko''s words, he''d already heard them before, so he didn''t feel like he needed to listen to all of it all over again. He had more important things on his mind to focus on, he gazed up at the clouds above as he was busy thinking about the course of actions he would take.


    Anko who was busy trying her best to intimidate all of the examinees noticed Naruto''s lack of attention toward her. Seeing this caused her to get slightly irritated at him, so she pulled out a kunai from within her coat sleeve.


    "Oi!" Anko yelled.


    Hearing the sudden yell caused Naruto to blink his eyes in surprise as he looked down to see the kunai coming at him.


    Eh? Why is this happening? He wondered briefly before quickly throwing a kunai out to deflect the incoming blow. He breathed a sigh of relief before he felt a kunai graze his cheek, slightly drawing blood. He shivered unconsciously as he slowly looked over to see Anko standing behind him as she caressed his cheek with her hand while holding the kunai against his cheek with the other hand.


    "Kids who don''t pay attention are most likely to wind up dead early on!" She whispered into his ear.


    "Covered in blood that I so adore!"


    She lifted her kunai away from Naruto as she put her face close to his. Naruto couldn''t help but feel his heart rate speed up as he shivered again. Man, she always freaked me out whenever she acted like this, Naruto thought.


    Suddenly, Anko turned around with her kunai in hand as another figure with a stretched out tongue was handing over the kunai that Naruto had deflected away.


    "I''m returning your kunai." The person said.


    Naruto stared at the person as he recognized who it was immediately. He clenched his teeth and gripped his fists tightly before relaxing as he breathed out to calm himself down. Now isn''t the time for that, I can''t cause a scene here, he told himself.


    "Thank you for the trouble." Anko replied while smiling at the figure.


    "But you really shouldn''t sneak up behind me like that."


    "Especially with all that blood lust."


    "As long as you don''t want a quick death that is." Anko smiled as she took the kunai away from the figure.


    "Well, I can''t help it whenever I see blood, I just get excited." The figure replied.


    Hinata stared at Naruto in worry as she quietly called out his name.


    Sakura stared in shock at the scene as she wondered what was up with this proctor. They''re completely psycho, including that other person too, she thought to herself.


    Naruto was silent as he watched Orochimaru walk away, you won''t be getting your way this time, you snake!


    "Looks like there are quite a few hot-blooded ones here!" Anko said in excitement.


    "This will be fun!"


    Anko then walked back up to the front of the group as everyone watched her.


    "Well, before we begin, I have something I need to hand out to all of you. It''s a consent form that each of you must sign before entering." Anko said as she pulled out a pile of papers.


    "Why''s that?" Someone asked among the crowd.


    "From this point on, people will die, you need to sign this form agreeing to it, which will make it so I''m no longer responsible for your lives." Anko laughed.


    The examinees all stared at Anko as she laughed, some had surprise on their faces while other''s had serious expressions.


    "Now, let me explain how the second stage will work." Anko said as each person grabbed a consent form.


    "This stage is meant to test your ability to survive in certain conditions. The training ground contains forty-four sealed gates that are ten kilometers away from a tower that is located at the center of the grounds. The grounds are covered with forests and rivers. The nature of this test is an anything goes scroll battle!"


    "Scroll battle?" Shikamaru asked.


    "Exactly, each of you will be handed one type of scroll, either an earth scroll or a heaven scroll. Your objective is to locate the other scroll you do not have when you start. So if you are given a heaven scroll, then you must find an earth scroll, and vice versa. The only way to obtain the other scroll is to fight another team for it. In total, twenty-six teams made it through the first stage, so thirteen of you will be given a heaven scroll, while the other half is given an earth scroll"


    "So that means at least half of us will be disqualified for sure." Sakura concluded.


    "So, what are the conditions for passing?" Sasuke asked.


    "In order to pass, you must bring both a heaven scroll and an earth scroll, but you must do so in the allotted time limit. You will have exactly five days to complete this task!" Anko answered.


    "Five days? What about food?" Choji exclaimed in agitation.


    "Food? The forest is a treasure trove of food, all you have to do is look for it. Be self-reliant!" Anko frowned upon hearing Choji''s words.


    "However, the forest is filled with poisonous bugs, plants, man-eating animals, and other kinds dangers." Kabuto pointed out.


    "No way..." Choji sighed in defeat.


    "Idiot, it wouldn''t be survival otherwise!" Ino scolded.


    "Umm, is it possible to give up in the middle of this?" Shikamaru asked after raising his hand.


    "No, you all must spend five days within these woods. However, let me go over the ways of getting disqualified. First, if you do not reach the central tower with both scrolls in the allotted time. Second, if one of your teammates goes missing or is incapacitated one way or another. Also, whatever you do, do not open the scrolls before reaching the tower." Anko warned.


    One of the examinees raised their hand and asked. "Umm, what happens if we do?"


    "well, I guess you''ll just have to find out at that time!" Anko grinned.


    "Eh?" The person exclaimed.


    "There are times when chunin are required to handle top-secret texts during missions. This is to test your reliability on performing those kind of missions!" Anko explained.


    "That''s enough for the explanations, I will collect your team''s three consent forms in exchange for one of the scrolls over by the hut over there. After that, you will pick a gate and they will all open simultaneously, signifying the start of the exam!"


    Anko sighed as she spoke one last time, "Finally, a word of advice... Don''t die!"


    Everyone became serious upon hearing her words and gathered among their respective teams. Anko walked away leaving the examinees to think about their next steps and she sat over by the hut she had pointed to earlier and waited.


    Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura all gathered together to discuss their plan of actions.


    Naruto looked at the other two and spoke. "Hey, what do you guys think we should do?"


    While he had his own ideas about how to begin, he wanted to hear their opinions as well.


    Sasuke thought for a moment before speaking. "I was looking over at the hut and saw that they covered it with a curtain, that way no one will be able to see what scroll each team possesses and who on each team is carrying the scroll."


    Sakura thought for a moment, "Naruto, when you create shadow clones, it creates a copy of everything you''re carrying right?"


    Naruto nodded his head after hearing Sakura''s question.


    "Then if you held onto the scroll and created shadow clones, would they also have a copy of the scroll?" Sakura asked.


    Naruto thought for a moment and nodded his head. "Yeah, I don''t see why it wouldn''t be the case.


    "Then I think we should have you hold onto the scroll, then when we enter, you can create several shadow clones and create decoys for us. That way, we would be able to figure out if another team has the scroll we need or not." Sakura suggested.


    Naruto thought for a moment and agreed with Sakura''s plan.


    "What do you think, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, looking at Sasuke.


    "I agree, it would be a smart move to have decoys, as long as you can keep up with it, Naruto." Sasuke smirked.


    Naruto grinned back and laughed. "Who do you think I am?"


    After deciding on a basic plan of action, the three of them decided to separate for the time being until they could go up and exchange their consent forms. Naruto was staring up at the clouds as he walked when he glanced down and saw Hinata standing by herself under a tree. He decided to call out to her.


    "Hey! Hinata! What are you doing over here?" Naruto called out as he walked over toward her.


    Hinata panicked slightly when she saw Naruto approach her.


    "N-Naruto? uh... well...." She mumbled.


    "Hmm?" Naruto wondered what Hinata was doing.


    Hinata glanced up and saw the cut on Naruto''s cheek and remembered how Anko had grazed his cheek with a kunai earlier.


    "Umm, uh... here... Naruto..." She stuttered as she hurriedly grabbed out medicine from within her jacket and handed it to Naruto.


    Naruto stared at the container and grabbed it. He remembered that it was the same as the one he received during the preliminary rounds to the third stage of the chunin exams. He frowned slightly, so she had meant to give this to me before then.. he thought. He looked back up at Hinata and grinned.


    "Thanks Hinata, you''re really kind!"


    Hinata blushed and looked away from Naruto.


    "Well, I''ll see you around, good luck!" Naruto called out as he turned and left.


    Hinata stared at Naruto''s back as she watched him run off, good luck to you as well, Naruto... she thought as she smiled.


    Soon one of the chunin proctors called out, telling the examinees that it was time to start. Each team got up and approached the hut one group at a time.


    Anko watched each time make their exchanges as she wondered just how many teams would survive this stage of the chunin exams.


    Soon, each team had made their exchanges and had gathered around their respective gates. Naruto''s group had been placed right behind gate twelve and were waiting for the thirty minute count down that Anko had instructed would begin the test. Time ticked by as each team grew tense. The gates were unlocked with two minutes to spare and each team got ready to head inside.


    As soon as the clock hit the half hour mark the gates were slammed open and each team rushed in.


    "Alright! Let''s do this!" Naruto yelled in excitement as Sasuke and Sakura grinned behind him.


    Suddenly, Naruto and the other two halted as they looked around.


    "Was that a scream?" Sakura asked.


    Naruto nodded his head in response. "The second test has started and already, teams are facing each other and fighting."


    The other two nodded as they listened to Naruto''s words. For Sakura, she had slowly been coming to terms with their current situation and the fact that they could die if they weren''t careful while inside.


    "Alright, from this point on, we need to be cautious of our actions, for now, let''s find a place to hide and plan our next course of actions." Naruto suggested.


    "But first...."


    Naruto then created nine clones and had three of them transform into Sakura and another three transform into Sasuke. Then, after nodding to each other, the nine clones split up into groups of three in three different directions. Naruto turned and nodded toward Sasuke and Sakura, and they began heading in the direction his clones hadn''t gone in. As soon as his clones discovered an enemy and were dispersed, he would learn about it. This time, things would play out very differently, he thought.

 29 Chapter 29: Naruto vs Orochimaru

    After creating the nine clones, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura took off. The trip delved deeper and deeper into the forest, making their way through toward the tower at the center. Suddenly, Naruto halted in front of Sasuke and Sakura.


    "What''s wrong Naruto?" Sakura asked.


    "We''re being followed right now, I don''t know when they''re going to strike, but keep your guard up. Also, on the chance we somehow get separated, we need something to confirm who we really are when we meet back up." Naruto informed the other two.


    They nodded their heads together as they listened.


    "Then how about a password?" Sasuke suggested.


    "No, if someone was listening in right now, then they''d know it as well." Naruto refused.


    After hearing his words, the other two tensed up and looked around. Just thinking about the idea of someone watching them at that moment put the two on edge.


    "Instead of a password, we''ll ask something about each other, something that only we would know." Naruto said.


    "Like what?" Sakura asked.


    "The fight in the Land of Waves." Naruto answered.


    The two of them looked at Naruto as they thought about it. Then they nodded their heads as they realized that Naruto was right, out of everyone participating in the chunin exams, only their team knew what really happened in the Land of Waves. The only other people who would also know were Kakashi, and the Hokage because of Kakashi''s report about the mission.


    "Alright, then what do we say exactly?" Sakura asked.


    "Just ask what happened on the bridge." Naruto replied.


    The two of them nodded and they started rushing deeper into the woods again. As they made their way through, one of Naruto''s clones dispersed and he received the experience that it had accumulated. Looks like they ran into that masked guy who tied me up last time, Naruto thought. He smirked a little bit at the fact that his plan had already proving to be successful, they had yet to run into anyone so far. But the one person who Naruto was placing his focus on still hadn''t made a move yet. So he still couldn''t let his guard down just yet.


    "Looks like one of my clones already ran into some trouble along the way." Naruto called back to the other two.


    Sasuke and Sakura glanced at each other as they breathed a sigh of relief. Looks like Naruto''s plan had worked on drawing away some unwanted attention to them.


    "We can''t relax just yet, as we get closer to the tower, we''ll run into more and more enemies, and it''ll become more difficult to hide from them." Naruto reminded the two.


    "Naruto? What''s wrong?" Sakura hesitantly asked, after seeing the serious look on Naruto''s face.


    "We need to keep moving, I''ll create another clone." Naruto answered.


    He then crossed his fingers together and created another clone. Then, one Naruto went in the direction he stared at while the other Naruto continued on with Sasuke and Sakura. Sorry you guys, he thought, but I can''t leave this up to a clone. Hopefully, you guys won''t run into any issues while I''m gone.


    Naruto had his clone leave with Sasuke and Sakura while he rushed toward the spot that his clone had dispersed from. He couldn''t let Orochimaru get any chances of escaping after discovering his clones weren''t Sasuke and Sakura. He had to ensure that Orochimaru didn''t get to Sasuke this time.


    After running for some time, Naruto felt his clones dispersed and gained the experience from them. Now he knew exactly where Orochimaru was, hopefully, things worked out as he planned.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Orochimaru stared at the two figures in front of him with a hungry gaze. He licked his lips as he grinned creepily at them. The two in front were Naruto''s clones that had transformed into Sasuke and Sakura respectively. While they knew who was standing in front of them and had prepared themselves, they still found it extremely difficult to remain calm after being hit by Orochimaru''s blood thirst.


    They found themselves transfixed in place with fear, Naruto thought back to when he first encountered Orochimaru and remembered that both Sasuke and Sakura had faced Orochimaru before he did. So this is what they experienced before I showed up? He thought, no wonder Sasuke acted like such a coward when I finally arrived. Naruto grit his teeth as his anger toward''s Orochimaru bubbled up, causing a slight trickle of blood to fall from his clenched fists as his finger nails dug into his palm.


    "Can''t move already...?" Orochimaru smirked.


    The two clones struggled to get themselves together as Orochimaru stared them down like a predator. One of the clones managed to pull out a kunai despite his hand shaking.


    "Hoh? What are you going to do with that?" Orochimaru asked.


    The clones stared at Orochimaru as he began to slowly walk toward them. Orochimaru pulled out two kunais casually as he walked.


    "Don''t worry... this''ll be over in a second.." Orochimaru smirked.


    After getting to a certain distance, he stopped and slowly brought his arm up to throw the two kunai. The two clones grit their teeth as they forced themselves to move. Orochimaru threw the kunais, and one of the clones threw their kunai and deflected one of Orochimaru''s. Then the two of them jumped out of the way and dodged the remaining kunai. Orochimaru grinned as he found enjoyment from hunting down week prey that thought it could escape. The two clones made their way deeper into the forest and hid by a large tree.


    "Alright, I think one of us should disperse to alert the original where we are." One of the clones suggested.


    "Right!" The other replied and then dispersed while the remaining clone stayed vigilant toward any kind of ambush.


    Suddenly a large snake appeared and went to swallow the clone. Shit! He thought and quickly threw several shurikens at the snake before jumping away again. The snake reeled back in anger after getting hit by the shurikens. It then swung it''s lower body and wrapped it around the clone. Dammit! The clone thought in frustration, he then pulled out several explosive tags and lit them up. Causing a large explosion to ensue, killing the large snake. Orochimaru slowly emerged from the snake''s corpse and glared at the point of origin where the explosion was.


    So what I was playing with was a shadow clone... Orochimaru thought as he narrowed his eyes. He didn''t like the idea of being played for a fool, so the situation angered him greatly as he frowned in displeasure. Suddenly, a kunai came flying out behind him forcing him to dodge out of the way. When he turned and look, he saw a kid with blonde hair and blue eyes.


    "Yo! I see you''ve been having fun with my clones." Naruto said as he glared at Orochimaru.


    "I see, so these were your clones, that you disguised as your teammates..... in order to lure away unwanted attention.... quite ingenious, but then why have you come over here?" Orochimaru inquired.


    "Well, that''s not really your business, but I figured leaving you to yourself would bring more harm than good." Naruto replied.


    "I see, so you decided to turn the hunter into the hunted.." Orochimaru said.


    "You could say that." Naruto grinned.


    Orochimaru was silent for a moment before suddenly smiling widely and began laughing. He laughed for a few moments before finally calming down enough to bring himself under control.


    "Interesting, very interesting!" Orochimaru said as he gazed at Naruto with an intense glare.


    "To think I would find myself in the position of being hunted, it''s an amusing situation, especially when the one hunting me is so much weaker than myself!"


    Naruto frowned as he listened to Orochimaru talk, this guy really does make my skin crawl when I''m around him. Naruto decided that he''d listened enough to Orochimaru''s words and started forming hand seals quickly.


    Tiger ¡ú Ox ¡ú Dog ¡ú Rabbit ¡ú Snake


    <Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Jutsu>


    Suddenly, from multiple directions, large gusts of wind came flying out toward Orochimaru who was at the center of it all. Orochimaru frowned as he prepared himself, however, the ground below him suddenly gave way as another Naruto came hurtling out with a rasengan in hand as he thrust his rasengan into Orochimaru''s chest. Orochimaru barely had any time to react before he was sent flying into the sky, only to be sent flying back into the ground as he got hit by the large gusts of wind coming down from above.


    Naruto body flickered down onto the ground and and summoned his bo staff. Then he spun and built up moment before swing the staff and hitting Orochimaru square in the chest before he hit the ground and sent him flying away. Naruto brought the staff up to his shoulders as he gazed at Orochimaru. He breathed in deeply and slowly as he started calming his mind and bringing his awareness to the maximum. He stretched his senses outward and closed his eyes, he emptied his mind of any distracting thoughts and focused. Suddenly his body reacted as he dodged out of the way as another large snake came crashing onto the ground where he used to be standing.


    Orochimaru gazed at him while wearing a confident smile and showing no signs of any injuries from Naruto''s previous attacks. He then stretched out his arm as he reached to grab onto Naruto. Naruto quickly swung his staff deflecting Orochimaru''s arm and then he pinned it onto the ground. Using it as a foot hold, he shoved the staff into the ground and launched himself toward Orochimaru by jumping. He threw several shurikens before pulling his arm back and charging a rasengan.


    Orochimaru threw several of his own shurikens to deflect Naruto''s and then with his other arm sent out several snakes from within his sleeve. Naruto finished charging the rasengan and thrust it forward, hitting the snakes and crushing their heads as they collided with the swirling ball of chakra. Blood splattered everywhere as the snakes were destroyed and Naruto summoned two clones to throw him up above.


    Orochimaru smiled widely as he waited for Naruto to continue attacking, intent on toying with him for as long as he wished. Naruto knew that nothing he threw at the old snake was working, and while practicing the new fighting technique he learned from Hateshi helped with keeping him safe so far, there was only so much he could do to close the gap. He still wasn''t strong enough to face Orochimaru head on just yet. But now that he was here, there was no way for him to escape so easily.


    Naruto then focused internally as he consciousness to his mindscape where Kurama stayed. Once he was there he saw Kurama was already awake and staring at him.


    "Yo, enjoying the show?" Naruto asked.


    "Hah, what show? You''re just prolonging your death!" Kurama laughed.


    "Then how about you help me out here. I know I don''t stand a chance, but if I die, then that doesn''t work out too well for you!" Naruto replied.


    Kurama was quiet as he stared at Naruto.


    "better decide quickly, because I don''t have a lot of time here!" Naruto urged.


    "Alright, I''ll give you a hand this time!" Kurama grinned.


    Then he released his chakra which gathered around Naruto before surging toward him and covering his body in it. Naruto then drew his consciousness out of the mindscape and gazed at Orochimaru as Kurama''s chakra began to surge around him. His eyes turned red, his nails turned into claws, and his teeth grew sharp. Naruto focused his wind nature as he executed the body flicker technique again. This time, a large gust of wind rampaged around as he appeared behind Orochimaru''s back and sent a punch, launching him forward.


    Orochimaru stared in surprise as he gazed at the changes that appeared on Naruto. So this is the Nine-Tails brat! Orochimaru thought as he recognized the chakra surging around Naruto. His lips pulled into a wide smile as he licked his tongue across them, this has gotten very interesting! The two of them then began engaging in battle as the skies above began to darken.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    As the skies grew dark, each team began looking toward it in confusion. For most, it looked like it was just going to start raining. But to a few individuals, they knew that something wasn''t right about the sky. Both Sasuke and Sakura recognized the appearance the sky had taken from the time on the bridge in the Land of Waves. They glanced at Naruto who had a serious expression on his face. Suddenly, Sasuke stopped moving forward.


    "The real Naruto went off, didn''t he?" Sasuke asked.


    Naruto was silent after hearing Sasuke''s question, but it only confirmed Sasuke''s suspicions.


    "That means, you''re just a clone, what''s happening right now? Is Naruto involved?" Sasuke questioned.


    Clone Naruto sighed as he turned and faced Sasuke. "Sasuke, right now, it would be better if we just continued on and left things to the real me."


    Sasuke frowned as he stepped toward the clone and grabbed him by the shirt. "So you''re saying that we''re just dead weight?"


    Sakura frowned as well, especially since she had already told Naruto that this time, she would be the one to protect him. This whole situation left her feeling more than frustrated with Naruto''s reckless behavior of handling things by himself. She grit her teeth in frustration as she also took a step forward and stood beside Sasuke.


    "Tell us what''s going on Naruto!" Sakura demanded.


    Clone Naruto sighed as he raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, I''ll tell you guys, but you have to promise to not go rushing off."


    The two of them frowned but slowly nodded, seeing that the only way to hear would be to agree. Clone Naruto scratched the back of his head as he thought about how he would explain everything.


    "Well, after the real me created the nine decoy clones, several of them were dispersed. One of them dispersed voluntarily to inform the others of them getting into contact with a single ninja from the Hidden Mist Village, but after they had defeated them. Then an entire team of them got dispersed after coming into contact with another guy." Clone Naruto explained.


    Sasuke and Sakura nodded, and when they heard that three of Naruto''s clones were forcefully dispersed, they couldn''t help but be surprised. Out of all of the genin they saw, Naruto was one of the strongest if not the strongest there. So who could it be that could handle three Clones of Naruto.


    "Which direction are they in?" Sasuke asked suddenly.


    He knew that Naruto had gone in that direction himself, since anyone that could handle three of his clones single handily was probably a very strong opponent. Sasuke didn''t know who it was, but he couldn''t let Naruto handle it all by himself. He had a bad feeling about the whole situation, especially with the way the sky was getting. Sakura had the same feeling and couldn''t help but glance at the sky again, only to see that it was getting worse.


    "I can''t tell you that, because I know you''ll head into that direction!" Clone Naruto protested.


    Suddenly, the three of them heard a large explosion and when they looked over, they saw a large dust cloud rising into the sky.


    "That must be where they are!" Sasuke said as he bolted in that direction.


    Sakura followed after him, while Clone Naruto felt slightly dumbfounded, he had just told them he wouldn''t tell them, and then suddenly they already had the direction. Then what was the point of him refusing in the first place? He then quickly snapped out of his thoughts and began chasing after Sasuke and Sakura as well. When he glanced up at the rising dust cloud, he couldn''t help but have a bad premonition rise up into his mind as he hoped for the best.

 30 Chapter 30: Fox vs Snake

    Naruto threw a punch at Orochimaru, who quickly dodged to the side, allowing the tree behind him to get smashed to pieces. Seeing this, Naruto opened up his palm and created a Rasengan and swung his arm toward Orochimaru. Orochimaru narrowed his eyes as he looked away and opened his mouth wide, allowing him to escape by shedding his skin. Naruto''s Rasengan blasted the discarded skin away after hitting it. He then looked over and stared at Orochimaru in frustration. His anger giving rise to more and more of Kurama''s chakra to seep out.


    After getting to a safe distance, Orochimaru stared at Naruto in amusement as he licked his lips. As much as he wanted Sasuke, there was a small desire for Naruto as well, just seeing the raw chakra that Naruto could wield caused him to desire him. But he restrained that thought as he remembered the Akatsuki and their goal of acquiring the Tailed Beasts. But no matter, he thought, he could at least play with the boy a while longer, he wasn''t in a hurry to find Sasuke just yet.


    Seeing Orochimaru''s expression only further caused disgust to swell within Naruto. He grit his teeth as he created several clones. Then he sent the clones toward Orochimaru as he watched carefully to get a better understanding of how Orochimaru fought. The clones flickered to where Orochimaru was and each sent a punch toward him. Orochimaru quickly spread his arms out sending a snake out of each sleeve to wrap up the clones, then he swung his arms, sending the clones flying. A third clone appeared behind him and brought both of his hands up above his head to swung them down onto Orochimaru''s head. The blow connected, and it sent Orochimaru flying toward the ground.


    Two more clones came out and kicked Orochimaru back up into the sky where a sixth clone was waiting with a Rasengan that he hit Orochimaru in the stomach with. Launching him to where the original Naruto was standing. Naruto gathered up his chakra into the palm of his hand, but this time, he gathered up even more chakra then what he normally used.


    <Giant Rasengan>


    He thrust the giant Rasengan toward Orochimaru who stared at the swirling sphere in surprise and apprehension. The amount and density of the chakra within the sphere shocked Orochimaru who quickly summoned snaked to delay the attack while he escaped again. Seeing Orochimaru escape yet again caused further anger to swell within Naruto and slowly, the red chakra started condensing and formed a bubbling chakra cloak in the image of Kurama around Naruto. Orochimaru stared at Naruto''s new appearance in both curiosity and apprehension, he had noticed that as the red chakra became more and more dense around Naruto, his strength and ability would rise up.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The clouds above were dark and menacing as it slowly began to start raining. Thunder boomed over head as lightning struck randomly. Neji concentrated at the sky with his Byakugan but wasn''t able to see anything, all he could tell was that chakra was slowly going into a single point in the sky, but he had no idea what it was or why this phenomenon was happening.


    "Neji... What is it?" Tenten asked.


    "I don''t know, but whatever it is, it''s not good." Neji replied.


    "We need to find Lee."


    "Right, what are we going to do once we find Lee?" Tenten replied.


    "We''ll hurry to find the scroll we need and make our way to the tower, there''s no need for us to get involved in whatever is happening." Neji said as he began scanning for Lee.


    "Let''s go!"


    The two took off as they went searching for Lee.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Kiba pat Akamaru''s head in concern as the small dog hid within his coat.


    "I''ve got a bad feeling about this weather, it''s really scaring Akamaru." Kiba said as he looked over at Shino and Hinata.


    "What do you see Hinata?" Kiba asked.


    Hinata was focusing up at the clouds with her Byakugan before looking away.


    "I don''t know, but whatever it is, it''s in the sky. I can see streams of chakra going up and gathering there." Hinata replied as she pointed in the general direction of where the chakra was gathering in the sky.


    "I have a bad feeling about it...." Hinata replied.


    "Then I say we move away from it and find the scroll we need." Kiba said.


    Hinata and Shino nodded, but just as they turned away to leave, Hinata stopped. She looked back toward it then in the direction below where the chakra was forming. She didn''t know why, but she felt like she shouldn''t ignore what was happening.


    "I.... I think.... we should check it out.." Hinata hesitantly said.


    Kiba and Shino turned and looked at Hinata like she was crazy.


    "But didn''t you say you had a bad feeling about it? Why should we check out what''s happening?" Kiba exclaimed.


    "I-I don''t know.... I just have this feeling that we should...." Hinata said meekly.


    Kiba and Shino were quiet as they stared at Hinata. Suddenly, Kiba sighed out as he started walking toward the direction of the phenomenon. Hinata blinked her eyes in surprise as she stared at Kiba.


    "Well, if you feel like we should check it out... then as teammates, we should believe you and trust your instincts." Kiba replied while scratching his cheek.


    Hinata smiled after hearing Kiba''s words. "Thank you Kiba" She bowed as she thanked him.


    Kiba waved if off and the trio started making their way toward the source.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto flickered behind Orochimaru and swung his arm, his movements caught Orochimaru by surprise as he was swatted by the chakra claw that formed around Naruto''s hand. Orochimaru landed onto the ground and rolled several times before slowly coming to a stop. Large trees within the path he was sent flying in were shattered as his body broke through them from the force. He slowly got up as he glared at Naruto who glared right back at him. As the two stared each other down, Orochimaru felt he was being gazed at by the Nine-Tails itself.


    "Heh, if I wasn''t already planning on getting Sasuke, I would probably choose you." Orochimaru grinned.


    Naruto stared at Orochimaru with even more anger as a second tail slowly started forming within his cloak.


    "Hoh? Is the cloak responding to your anger? But we''ve only just met, why do you have such hatred for me?" Orochimaru asked.


    "Shut up!" Naruto growled as the second tail fully formed.


    He then jumped and vanished before appearing a second later in front of Orochimaru and threw a punch. Orochimaru jumped out of the way at the last second but then the chakra cloak extended out of the arm as a claw lunged toward Orochimaru. So the cloak responds to his intent and acts on it''s own. Orochimaru analyzed.


    He then shot his arm out and a large snake extended and wrapped around the chakra cloak but as soon as he did that, two more chakra arms emerged from the cloak and rushed toward Orochimaru. He bit his thumb and began forming hand seals.


    Boar ¡ú Dog ¡ú Bird ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Ram


    <Summoning Jutsu>


    Suddenly, a large smoke screen appeared and a snake''s head rose up out of it with Orochimaru standing on top of it''s head. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he gazed up at the snake towering above him.


    "Lets see what kind of capabilities you possess!" Orochimaru grinned.


    Naruto frowned after hearing Orochimaru''s words getting irritated by his words.


    "If you want to see what I can do, then I''ll show you exactly what I can do!" Naruto growled. Then he bit his thumb and started forming hand seals quickly.


    Boar ¡ú Dog ¡ú Bird ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Ram


    <Summoning Jutsu>


    Another large smoke screen appeared and suddenly, a figure jumped out of the smoke and landed away from the giant snake Orochimaru was on. The figure was none other than Gamabunta. He slowly looked around and narrowed his eyes when he saw Orochimaru.


    "Brat! Looks like you called me out to face a troublesome opponent!" Gamabunta grunted.


    Then he sensed the chakra surrounding Naruto and couldn''t help but blink in surprise. He''s using the Nine-Tails chakra? Since when did the seal start cracking? Gamabunta wondered.


    "No time for chatting Gamabunta! Here he comes!" Naruto warned as the snake started moving toward them at great speed.


    Gamabunta frowned as he gazed at the snake and jumped high into the air. His stomach inflated just before he finally shot two water bullets toward Orochimaru and the snake.


    Orochimaru gazed at Naruto who was standing on top of Gamabunta with a frown. He truly didn''t expect Naruto to know the summoning technique, let alone be capable of summoning Gamabunta. Looks like he''s met Jiraiya before and was taught the technique. Which also explains the Rasengan as well. He thought, then he smiled widely as Naruto''s prowess only further drove a desire to have him within Orochimaru''s mind.


    Looks like we''ll be able to have some more fun than I thought, Orochimaru smiled to himself as he licked his lips.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto''s clone were steadily making progress as they neared where the large explosion happened. However, as they approached, Naruto''s clone suddenly stopped and fell to the ground in pain.


    "Eh? Naruto?" Sakura called out in surprise catching Sasuke''s attention as well.


    The two of them turned around and jumped over to where clone Naruto was lying down on the ground.


    "What''s wrong?" Sakura asked in concern.


    "You guys have to turn back now, it''s too dangerous now!!" Clone Naruto grunted before dispersing into smoke.


    The two of them stared in shock at where the clone had been originally. Just what was happening? They wondered.


    "Sasuke, we''re still going... right?" Sakura asked suddenly.


    Sasuke thought for a moment before replying.


    "Yeah, we''re still going." Sasuke affirmed.


    Sakura turned around with a determined expression on her face as she looked at Sasuke.


    "Good, because this only means Naruto''s in trouble! It''s time for us to pay him back from before in the Land of Waves!" Sakura said.


    Sasuke was slightly surprised at Sakura''s response, he half expected her to have doubts about going now. He knew she''s still go regardless, but he hadn''t expected to see her have no doubts about it. He smirked in response toward Sakura as the two nodded to each other. Then they started making their way ever closer to the direction from before.


    As they moved Sakura clenched her fists tightly together. This time Naruto, this time I won''t just sit on the side line watching you and Sasuke take care of everything. If you''re really in trouble, then I''m going to help you! She grabbed her forehead protector that she normally wore on top of her head and took it off. Then she wrapped it around her forehead properly as she stared ahead, her hair flying behind her in the breeze as the two of them moved.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Gamabunta swung his blade, blocking the teeth from the giant serpent as they clashed again. The snake swung it''s lower body, attempting to wrap Gamabunta up, but missed as Gamabunta jumped into the sky again.


    "We can''t keep doing this forever, we need to pin them down!" Naruto said in agitation.


    "I''m working on it brat!" Gamabunta snapped.


    Orochimaru stared at Naruto in amusement as the snake and toad clashed again. Naruto on the other hand was only growing more agitated by the second. He glanced up at the sky and saw the changes that were occurring, and knew that at any moment, the World''s Construct would come down from the sky and start interfering. Slowly, a third tail began emerging from the cloak, causing Orochimaru to stare in fascination toward it. He was curious to see how many tails would appear before Naruto finally lost control. Or was it possible that Naruto had complete control over the Nine-Tail''s chakra.


    The more Orochimaru thought about it, the more he wanted to find out. He already figured out that the Nine-Tail''s chakra responded toward Naruto''s anger, so he was more than happy to provide a source to further cause more anger and hate to swell within Naruto. While none of this had been his original goal, it was a pleasant surprise for him nonetheless.


    "Gamabunta! Try to get me as close to that snake''s head as you can, I''ll try and get a hit in on Orochimaru!" Naruto said.


    "Are you crazy brat!? That''s Orochimaru, do you have any idea who he is?!" Gamabunta yelled.


    "Yeah, I do, just trust me on this." Naruto replied.


    Gamabunta was quiet for a moment before sighing. "Fine, but if I think things are going badly, I''m getting you out of here!"


    "Alright, let''s do this!" Naruto yelled as he crouched down and focused.


    Gamabunta dodged the snake again by jumping to the side. Then he shot several more water bullets toward the snake before jumping on top of it. He landed onto the body of the snake and pressed his blade against the snake''s body.


    "Now''s your chance!" Gamabunta shouted.


    "Right!" Naruto replied before flickering to Orochimaru and throwing a punch at him.


    Orochimaru dodge Naruto''s punch and spun, kicking Naruto in the stomach. Naruto gasped out but then reached out and grabbed Orochimaru''s leg and threw him off the snake. Just as Naruto did that, the snake managed to free itself from underneath Gamabunta.


    "Gamabunta!" Naruto shouted as he saw the toad fall over.


    "Focus on Orochimaru brat! I''ve got this!" Gamabunta replied as he dodged the snake''s attack again.


    Naruto turned back to face Orochimaru as he landed on the ground. This time, thing''s wouldn''t be so easy for the old snake, he thought to himself.


    Orochimaru wiped some blood from the corner of his mouth before he looked back at Naruto and grinned.


    "Such a waste! All this chakra and power is wasted being used by the likes of Sarutobi-sensei!" Orochimaru hissed.


    "Why don''t you come over to me Naruto! I could provide you a much better environment to use this chakra than Sarutobi ever could!" He grinned widely opening his arms wide.


    Naruto became even more angry after hearing Orochimaru''s words. "How dare you talk about old man third like that?!" He growled.


    "There''s no way in hell that I''ll ever join you, and I''ll never let you touch any of my friends!!" He said as the chakra around him flared up.


    The wind began howling as a small crater formed around where Naruto stood due to the chakra density he was creating. The wind swirled around Naruto and howled as it scrapped the bark off the nearby trees. Orochimaru frowned after hearing Naruto''s words, especially since they implied that Naruto knew his goal. The only question was how had he learned about it? Orochimaru was curious about the method Naruto had used to figure out his plans.


    Orochimaru grinned as he spoke. "I won''t have to touch your friends, they would come willingly to me if they are seeking power."


    Suddenly, something within Naruto snapped. A fourth tail began emerging from the cloak surrounding him and he grunted as he faced the ground in pain. As the tail emerged, his skin began to peel off of him and burn to ash after reaching the surface of the cloak. His pupils were completely red as he struggled against the rage that was taking hold of him. Slowly blood began seeping from his body and burning as it touched the cloak, creating a black mist the began to swirl around Naruto''s body.


    Orochimaru stared at the entire process intrigued by it all. Soon, Naruto could no longer be seen as a black sphere shrouded him entirely. A black smoke began rising into the sky for all to see.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Hinata, Kiba, and Shino stared at the black smoke rising into the sky. None of them said a word, but they all had a bad feeling about it. But they still continued on, what surprised the other two was that Hinata for some reason increased her speed and moved faster toward it.


    Please let my bad feeling be just a feeling, Hinata thought as she got a bad premonition about what was happening.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Shikamaru, Choji and Ino stared at the rising smoke from a distance.


    "I have a really bad feeling about whatever that is.. not to mention how bad this weather has gotten." Shikamaru said.


    The other two nodded their heads in agreement.


    "Well, since we all agree that it can''t be anything good, let''s just go the other way!" Ino tried suggestion to the other two.


    Choji agreed as well.


    Shikamaru continued to look at the rising smoke, then he stared up at the clouds. When he started turning around a figure appeared in front of them.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto reared his head about as he yelled. Red chakra surrounded him as the surrounding trees were blasted away by the pressure. A crater formed as the trees were sent flying and everyone felt the large gust of wind blowing toward them and quickly dodged as the broken remains of trees and other debris were sent flying outward with Naruto at the center. As the dust settled and cleared, Orochimaru slowly got up from being blown away and stared at Naruto''s current form.


    "Truly unbelievable... the things this child can do.." Orochimaru grinned.


    Naruto had turned into a smaller version of the Nine-Tails only covered in blood and with four tails instead of nine. He growled as steam exhaled from his mouth, his gaze focused entirely on Orochimaru who stood in front of him.

 31 Chapter 31 Fox vs Snake Part II

    Orochimaru stared at the newly transformed Naruto.


    "Truly unbelievable... the things this child can do.." Orochimaru grinned.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    As Sakura and Sasuke made their way through the forest, they had seen the black smoke rising into the air and had grown even more concern for Naruto. However, they suddenly were blown back by a large gust of wind and were forced to retreat and find shelter from the incoming debris. They were both shocked by the sudden impact, what exactly was happening? They wondered.


    Suddenly, the light above them was darkened as a large shadow appeared. Suddenly, Gamabunta landed loudly as he crashed onto the ground in front of the two of them.


    "Eh? Why is there a giant toad here?" Sakura exclaimed.


    Sasuke was also shocked but he didn''t really have any words to say as his mouth just hung slightly ajar.


    Gamabunta grunted in pain as he slowly picked himself up off the ground.


    "This really isn''t looking good now, that brat''s in trouble!" Gamabunta exclaimed as he pulled himself up off the ground.


    Sasuke quickly climbed up to the top of a nearby tree along with Sakura.


    "Oi, you came from the battle that''s happening over there, tell us what''s going on!" Sasuke demanded.


    "Please!" Sakura added.


    Gamabunta stared at the two on the tree.


    "Hmph, you brats wouldn''t be able to do anything if you knew, so leave now." Gamabunta grunted.


    Sasuke felt pissed off after hearing that, but seeing the size of the toad forced him to consider his words a bit more.


    "Please... our teammate is over there!" Sasuke asked as he bowed.


    Sakura was surprised to see Sasuke acting like that. He normally wouldn''t drop his arrogance in front of others, however, she had to admit that the giant toad wasn''t someone she felt they could really face if they pissed him off.


    Gamabunta stared at the two, especially Sasuke who was bowing toward him.


    "You''re teammate, does he have blonde spiky hair and blue eyes?" Gamabunta asked after a moment.


    "Yes, that''s right, is Naruto alright?!" Sakura asked with her eyes widening.


    "If you''re asking if he''s alive, then he is. But I wouldn''t say he''s alright either..." Gamabunta replied.


    "No way.... that Naruto?" Sakura said in disbelief.


    Sasuke also found it incredulous, the two of them knew of Naruto''s ability and skill. Which meant that whomever it was that he was facing, was someone incredibly strong.


    "Then we at least have to get him out of there!!" Sakura exclaimed as she looked toward the center of the explosion.


    "Let''s go Sasuke!"


    "Right."


    The two of them started moving toward but were suddenly grabbed by Gamabunta''s tongue.


    "Hold it, you can''t help the brat right now. You guys''ll only get hurt if you go in!" Gamabunta told them.


    Both Sasuke and Sakura stared at the giant toad in frustration. They knew Naruto was right there, but now they were being told they couldn''t go. Suddenly, they heard a large impact followed by the ground shaking around them.


    "What was that?" Sakura exclaimed.


    Gamabunta stared ahead for a moment. "That was Naruto''s attack just now."


    The two stared at the toad again in shock before silently staring back toward where the direction of the explosion was. Suddenly, they all noticed the arrival of three individuals.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto stared at Orochimaru while growling, Orochimaru stared back with a slight grin on his face as he marveled at Naruto''s current form.


    "I wonder, with your current form, do you think this village would accept you still?" Orochimaru asked.


    Naruto remained silent to Orochimaru''s question.


    "Can you even understand me now that you''re like this?.... Heh, truly what a tragic child you are. Forced to become a monster by the whims of this village and then shunned by the very same fools who did this to you, and I''m the one who''s a monster." Orochimaru mocked.


    Naruto growled as he narrowed his eyes and lifted his arms, then he slammed them down into the ground. Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and prepared himself in response. Now what are you up to I wonder, Orochimaru thought.


    Suddenly, the ground below him began to crack. Orochimaru widened his eyes and jumped up right as Naruto''s arms came launching out of the ground attempting to catch him. Orochimaru jumped to the side in order to avoid the arms, but then another arm came rushing out of one of Naruto''s arms and rushed at Orochimaru.


    Orochimaru frowned and sent a snake out to intercept the incoming attack. But as soon as the snake made contact with the arm it began disintegrating to ash and the affects began eating away at the rest of Orochimaru''s body. So he quickly opened his mouth and he shed his skin like a snake as he escaped, leaving his old body to disintegrate into ash.


    Interesting, looks like this will be quite difficult to deal with. Orochimaru thought as he began circling around Naruto who still had his arms implanted into the ground. Naruto growled as he watched Orochimaru. Then he started to retract his arms from the ground. Orochimaru then approached Naruto rapidly and coated his fist in chakra just before punching Naruto in the face launching him away.


    The he started to form hand seals.


    Tiger ¡ú Ox ¡ú Dog ¡ú Rabbit ¡ú Snake


    <Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Jutsu>


    A large gust of wind then surged toward Naruto sending him tumbling backwards. As Naruto flew back he slammed his arms back into the ground stopping him from flying further back. Then he slowly started moving closer toward Orochimaru who poured more chakra into pushing Naruto backwards. Naruto then sent his arm into the ground enlarging the size and them slamming it down onto Orochimaru.


    Orochimaru frowned as he released the jutsu and dodge by flipping to the side. However, Naruto sent his other arm out and grabbed hold of Orochimaru. Then he swung his arm and dragged Orochimaru against the ground before tossing him into the air. Naruto grinned as he saw Orochimaru''s pained expression as he was tossed. Then he jumped up into the air and appeared behind Orochimaru and swung his arm, separating Orochimaru''s top half from his lower half of his body. However, snakes appeared out of the top and lower halves and interconnected with each other, causing Orochimaru''s body to become whole again.


    Orochimaru had a pained expression however as he landed back onto the ground. Naruto landed several tens of meters away from Orochimaru and wore a smug expression on his face. Orochimaru frowned slightly as he had to once again reassess Naruto''s capabilities, even if the current form was no more than a beast acting only on instinct alone. But the sheer power and force alone was nonetheless overwhelming.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    After experiencing the sudden blast the blew them away, Hinata, Kiba and Shino were having second thoughts about continuing on. Especially so for Kiba, since Akamaru was shivering uncontrollably in fear within his coat. Seeing his partner like this only convinced Kiba that going there was a really bad idea. But despite everything, for some reason, Hinata still wanted to continue onward. Just as they were busy discussing things they saw a large toad falling nearby.


    Seeing that baffled them as they had never seen a toad of that size before, let alone one wearing a coat and carrying an equally large blade.


    "What the hell is that?" Kiba exclaimed.


    "I don''t know, but it looks like it came from where the blast occurred earlier.." Hinata replied.


    "Hinata''s right, it came flying from where we are heading, which means something capable of blowing away a creature of that size away is present there." Shino confirmed.


    "Then why the hell are we still going that way?" Kiba shouted.


    "We never should have come this way, this is crazy!"


    "But...." Hinata murmured.


    "No buts! We are turning around now!" Kiba commanded.


    "Kiba, I think we should check out the toad." Shino suggested.


    "Eh? What the hell are you talking about Shino?" Kiba asked in surprise.


    "Chances are, based on that toad''s appearance, it''s a summoned animal. So we may be able to determine what''s happening from it." Shino replied.


    Hinata looked at Kiba pleadingly, causing him to sigh in frustration.


    "Fine." Kiba sighed in defeat.


    The trio then made their way toward the giant toad. As they got closer they discovered Sasuke and Sakura as well. But Hinata noticed that Naruto was nowhere to be seen. Which only caused her to be worried, and her bad premonition only worsened.


    Seeing the newcomers, Gamabunta looked over at them and saw that they all wore the same leaf shinobi forehead protectors. So he made no aggressive action toward them, Sasuke and Sakura also noticed the trio''s arrival.


    "Eh? Sasuke, and Sakura, what are you guys doing here?" Kiba exclaimed.


    "Well.... we were heading toward the battle that''s happening, but then this guy stopped us." Sakura answered.


    "What, why? Are you guys crazy!?" Kiba shouted.


    "Didn''t you guys see all those crazy explosions? It''s tearing up the forest!"


    "....." Sakura looked down.


    That''s when Hinata finally put two and two together, noticing Naruto''s absence from the group and the fact that despite the increasing danger, why the two of them would still go.


    "It''s because Naruto is over there." Sasuke finally spoke.


    Kiba looked shocked upon hearing about Naruto, then he once again looked over at the direction of where the explosions occurred. Hinata looked at the source as well as she finally knew why she had a bad feeling about what was happening. Suddenly, they felt a tremor.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto and Orochimaru stared at each other for awhile. Neither making a move, suddenly however, Naruto suddenly started releasing small red and blue chakra orbs into the air. Then he brought his tails up toward the top of his head and began bringing the chakra orbs together. The orbs slowly gathered into a black sphere. Orochimaru stared at the process as he wondered what exactly Naruto was planning on doing with all of that chakra. Soon, all the orbs had gathered and combined into a single large black sphere, then Naruto began condensing the chakra massive chakra orb into the size of a small fist sized sphere. Orochimaru''s eyes widened as he saw the amount of dense chakra that Naruto had gathered. However, what surprised Orochimaru was that instead of using it Naruto opened his mouth wide, causing cracks to appear as his mouth widened, then he swallowed the chakra orb.


    The dense chakra forced Naruto''s body to sink into the ground forming a crater. Now what are you going to do? Orochimaru wondered. Then, Naruto''s body began to swell in size causing an even bigger crater to form around him. He slowly opened his mouth and steam began seeping out. That''s when Orochimaru realized what was about to happen as he quickly created some distance between the two and bit both his thumbs and slammed them onto the ground.


    <Summoning jutsu: Triple Rash¨­mon>


    Three large gates appeared one after the other between Orochimaru and Naruto, each with a distinct face on the doors. Naruto then opened his mouth and shot the condensed chakra orb out of his mouth toward Orochimaru. As soon as the orb hit the first gate a large explosion happened further destroying the surrounding terrain. Tremors shook the ground as the explosion happened.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino all stared at the newcomer. It was none other than Rock Lee.


    "Shikamaru, why do you have your guard up? It''s just that weird guy from before." Ino said.


    "Ino, did you forget already? No one is an ally in this part of the chunin exams." Shikamaru replied.


    Lee looked at the trio for a moment, but suddenly, the ground began shaking as they felt the tremors happening. The looked over and saw a large blast above the trees going in one direction.


    "That can''t be good..." Shikamaru sighed.


    "Ahem, I have no intention of fighting you guys, but I''m heading over there!" Lee said.


    Shikamaru stared at Lee as if he were crazy, but considering his choice of clothes, it wouldn''t be surprising if he was.


    "That''s fine, we''ll be going in another direction anyways." Shikamaru replied.


    Lee nodded his head. "Then you guys should be careful."


    Shikamaru nodded in return as he watched Lee run off.


    "Let''s go, we''ve been here long enough, chances are, all the crazy strong guys will be attracted by that explosion, which will make it easier for us to reach the tower." Shikamaru said.


    The other two nodded their heads and the three of them continued heading toward the direction of the tower.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    As Neji and Tenten were looking for Lee, they also felt the sudden tremor and saw the huge blast tearing up the landscape. As they were looking at it, Neji finally noticed Lee rushing toward it.


    "Lee!" Neji called out.


    Lee looked over and slowed down for Neji to catch up. "Neji.."


    "What are you doing? There''s no need for us to go that way." Neji said.


    "That''s where you''re wrong Neji, someone we know could be in trouble over there!" Lee retorted.


    "What does it matter to us? No one is our ally in this round of the exams!" Tenten yelled at Lee.


    "Tenten, what kind of shinobi would we be if we didn''t help out when someone was in danger!" Lee reprimanded.


    Neji and Tenten sighed as they realized they wouldn''t be able to talk Lee out of going.


    "Fine, but as soon as things become too much for us, we''re running away!" Tenten responded.


    Neji remained silent as he raised his alertness to the max in case of any kind of ambush happening. The trio rushed forward toward the blast.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Sasuke, Sakura and Gamabunta all stared in shock at the nearby blast, and they were forced to brace themselves from the incoming shock waves. Hinata felt even more fear toward Naruto''s safety, there was no way anyone would be fine being near a blast like that. Which was why she couldn''t help herself rushing off toward the direction as soon as the shock waves settled down. Seeing this, Kiba and Shino shouted out toward her and began chasing after.


    "What are you doing you brats?!" Gamabunta shouted out.


    Seeing this, both Sasuke and Sakura took the chance to escape from Gamabunta and rush toward the fighting as well.


    "Damn it!" Gamabunta muttered as he got up to chase after them.


    Hinata only had one concern on her mind and it was for Naruto''s safety, she would never be able to forgive herself if something happened to Naruto and she did nothing. Please be alright! Naruto! Hinata pleaded in her mind, hoping that nothing bad had happened to Naruto. Kiba and Shino were still busy chasing after her, but were unable to catch up to Hinata, they were only able to match her speed so that she didn''t get too far ahead of them. Meanwhile, behind them were Sasuke and Sakura who were slowly catching up toward them.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto waited as he gazed at all the dust and smoke he had created from the blast. Soon, the dust settled to reveal a badly injured Orochimaru half buried in the dirt.


    "Cough.. Heh, to think that even the Triple Rash¨­mon would be completely destroyed in defending against that blast." Orochimaru breathed out.


    He slowly stood up as his body was in tatters. The blast had caused the ground and trees on either side behind where the gates were to become destroyed. Only the surrounding area directly behind the gates had been relatively unscathed. Naruto grinned as he stared down Orochimaru who was breathing heavily. Suddenly, there was a large eruption of lighting within the sky as a black sphere came hurtling down toward the ground. Orochimaru and Naruto both looked up at the sudden commotion and watched as the black sphere landed in between the two of them. Soon, the sphere cracked apart to reveal the pure white figure underneath while the black substance merged to form black clothes around the figure. It opened it''s eyeless eyes to stare down at Naruto and Orochimaru.


    Right as the Construct had appeared, Hinata arrived followed by Kiba and Shino. Soon Sasuke and Sakura arrived afterward. Gamabunta had also arrived as well and he along with the group that had arrived stared at the scene that had been revealed in front of them. What they saw was a heavily injured man with long black hair and snake like eyes. A pure white figure wearing black clothes and some kind of bloody beast with four tails. But none of them saw any sign of Naruto around in the area.


    Naruto stared at the Construct that had appeared and roared, causing the nearby people to cover their ears from the intense sound.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    An elderly man walked into the Hokage''s office to see the Hokage staring intensely out of the window.


    "Sarutobi, you can no longer shield the boy, he has become a danger to the lives of everyone in the village, anyone with any sense can feel the Nine-Tails chakra that''s surging outward from him now." The elderly man said.


    "Danzo...." Sarutobi murmured.


    The Third Hokage truly had no words at this moment, the situation he feared most had come about, Naruto had succumbed to the power of the Nine-Tails and the seal had begun breaking apart.


    "It''s time to take action, we must stop the chunin exams and restrain the Nine-Tails before it is too late!" Danzo said.


    The Hokage looked down toward the ground as he considered the possible actions.


    "The Nine-Tails will be restrained and then sealed properly!" Danzo said.


    The Third Hokage stared at Danzo as anger swelled up within him.


    "He is not the Nine-Tails, he is Uzumaki Naruto, a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf! Danzo!" Sarutobi exclaimed.


    "Whatever you call him, he is now a danger. It is your job as Hokage to ensure the safety of the village!" Danzo retorted.


    "I will handle this matter, but I will do so my way! Do not interfere Danzo!" Sarutobi commanded.


    "As you wish Lord Third..." Danzo replied before turning around and walking out of the door.


    As he walked a shadow appeared behind him.


    "Find an opportunity to take care of the Nine-Tails!" Danzo commanded.


    "Yes!" The shadow answered before disappearing.


    Danzo stared out of the window as he looked at the general direction of where the Nine-Tails chakra was.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Soon, Neji, Lee, and Tenten arrived as well and they saw the same scene as the others who had arrived before them. They were confused and weary of what they saw, then they noticed the others and made their way toward them.


    "Sakura!" Lee called out.


    Sakura looked over to see Lee and the others. "Lee!" Sakura replied.


    "Are you alright Sakura?!" Lee asked in concern.


    "I''m fine Lee... What are you guys doing here?" Sakura asked.


    "We came to help out anyone in trouble!" Lee replied with a thumbs up.


    Sakura nodded her head and looked back at the scene before her eyes. Just where was Naruto? She wondered, and who was that man? Where did that bloody beast come from as well? She wondered. But she recognized the Construct in the center of it all, and she couldn''t help but shiver from remembering the last time they encountered it.


    "Oi! Where''s Naruto?" Kiba yelled.


    Gamabunta remained silent for a moment before replying. "He''s there in front of you all."


    "Eh?" Everyone exclaimed as they looked back.


    "Where?" Kiba asked.


    "The one covered in blood.." Gamabunta answered.


    Hearing this caused everyone present to stare at the bloody beast with four tails and they couldn''t believe their eyes. Just what had happened to Naruto to transform him into something like that? They wondered.


    The Construct began to move as it rushed toward Naruto. Naruto reacted by swinging his arm toward it. The Construct blocked but was sent flying back after receiving the blow by Naruto. Naruto then rushed forward to attack the Construct, creating a sudden shock wave after taking off from his earlier position.


    The Construct reacted by turning it''s arm in a blade that it swung to slice Naruto. Naruto grabbed the Construct''s arm and tore it off before slamming it into the ground. Then he raised both of his arms high up into the air before bringing them down onto the Construct. The blow created a large shock wave that shook the surrounding area as well as creating another crater in the ground.


    Orochimaru observed the battle with interest as he focused on recovering, then he saw the new arrivals and saw Sasuke. He grinned as he licked his lips.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Sitting in an empty space, Hateshi watched as the scene unfolded before his eyes. He grinned as he watched as Naruto fought the Construct.


    "Looks like things are going well!" He grinned.

 32 Chapter 32 Rampage!

    The Construct was slammed further and further into the ground by Naruto''s blows, creating shock wave after shock wave. Suddenly it sent a punch and launched Naruto in the air. Then it jumped up and spun before kicking Naruto into the ground. After landing, a crater formed as Naruto glared at the Construct that had appeared from the sky. Then he growled as he stretched his arm out and grabbed the Construct as it was in the air. He swung his arm and slammed the Construct into the ground.


    The others stared at the scene as they came to the realization that they had no way of getting involved with a fight of this level. The fight was just too extreme for anyone of their level.


    "Just what can we do here?" Kiba asked absentmindedly.


    "Nothing, now get out of here before you brats get hurt!" Gamabunta answered.


    All of them looked up at the giant toad with mixed expressions. Sakura and Sasuke were conflicted as they knew that Naruto was in trouble, but they didn''t see any way of helping him. Hinata was also concerned about Naruto but she couldn''t stop herself from shaking at the sight of the battle taking place. Kiba seemed to accept Gamabunta''s words after hearing them, Akamaru still remained hidden within Kiba''s coat. Shino didn''t show much of an expression in the first place. Lee seemed as if he wanted to try fighting but knew there was no room for him to get involved. Neji and Tenten appeared to be of the same mind as Kiba.


    Suddenly, Gamabunta moved as he struck his tongue out at a spot, revealing Orochimaru as he jumped away to avoid the attack.


    "Snake! Don''t think I haven''t forgotten about you!" Gamabunta snapped.


    "Hoh, how unfortunate indeed." Orochimaru grinned as he starred at Sasuke.


    Sasuke noticed Orochimaru''s stare and couldn''t help but shiver from it. The other''s noticed as well and wondered why the man would stare at Sasuke like that.


    "This one is too much for you brats! Get back now!" Gamabunta spoke as he wrapped his tongue around everyone and pulled them up.


    "Whoa! What the-?" Kiba exclaimed as he was lifted off the ground.


    Suddenly, a shock wave blew everyone back, when they looked over, they noticed Naruto had changed, instead of seeing four tails as before, he now had five tails. Orochimaru narrowed his eyes as he observed the sudden spike in chakra density surrounding Naruto. This child is truly incredible... how I wish I could get my hands on him.. Orochimaru mused to himself.


    Gamabunta frowned and began carrying the group of genin away from the scene.


    "Hey wait! Where are you taking us!?" Sakura shouted as she struggled to free herself.


    "Away from this battle! It''s getting further out of control with Naruto like that, and that thing he''s fighting gives me a really bad feeling as well." Gamabunta replied.


    "Who were they?" Sakura asked as she stared at the passing figures.


    "They are the Anbu Black Ops Sakura." A voice said.


    When the group looked over they saw that the one who spoke was Kakashi, along with Guy, and Kurenai.


    "Eh? Kakashi-sensei!? What are you doing here?" Sakura asked.


    "To get you guys out of here, the situation is currently far beyond any of your capabilities right now." Kakashi explained.


    "But what about Naruto?!" Sakura shouted in frustration.


    "We can''t just leave him behind all by himself!"


    Kakashi looked behind them in the direction of where Naruto was currently rampaging. There was a conflicted expression on his face as he looked back.


    "Right now, you guys can''t help Naruto, as much as I want to help him, my priority right now is the safety of you guys here." Kakashi spoke.


    Sakura looked wide eyed at Kakashi in shock and bit her lip in anger. She really felt helpless right then and there.


    Suddenly, Gamabunta stopped moving and lowered the group of genin down onto the ground.


    "Since you guys now have jonin to look after you, it''s time I take my leave." Gamabunta spoke.


    Kakashi and the other jonin halted and joined up with them.


    "Thank you." Kakashi bowed.


    Gamabunta turned back and jumped toward where Naruto was.


    The jonin watched Gamabunta leave before turning around to face the group of genin.


    "It''s time for you guys to leave!" Guy spoke.


    "But Guy-sensei!" Lee began.


    "Lee! Don''t argue with me, this matter is already beyond your current capabilities. Just leave the rest to us!" Guy grinned as he gave a thumbs up.


    Lee looked down in frustration but he still nodded his head as he replied. "Yes... Guy-sensei."


    Guy placed his hand on Lee''s head, causing Lee to look up at Guy.


    "Lee, there are times when you are not strong enough to face a situation. But it''s during these times that you have to remember why you trained hard to become strong in the first place. Don''t let this get you down, you still have room to grow even stronger!" Guy encouraged.


    Lee beamed at Guy as his eyes sparkled. "Guy-sensei!!"


    "Lee!!" Guy replied while also getting teary-eyed.


    "GUY-SENSEI!!!" Lee shouted.


    "LEE!!!" Guy shouted back.


    The others stared at the two caught within their own world with mixed expressions. Then they looked away, leaving the two alone.


    "Kakashi-sensei.... Is there really nothing we can do?" Sakura asked.


    Kakashi sighed as he looked over in Naruto''s direction.


    "I''m afraid so, Sakura, there really isn''t anything you guys can do in this situation." Kakashi replied.


    Sakura looked down after hearing this. She felt that the situation wasn''t fair, and all she could do was grit her teeth in frustration. Suddenly, they were all brought out of their thoughts by a large explosion.


    Kakashi stared at the direction of the explosion.


    Looks like they''ve begun. He thought.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The anbu ninja surrounded Naruto and the Construct as they fought. They prepared themselves to begin engaging the two in combat while they waited for the Hokage to appear.


    "Remember to be extremely careful here, this is the Nine-Tails we''re engaging here, and while we don''t know what that other thing is, it''s fighting on par with the Nine-Tails so be equally cautious!" One of the Anbu members announced to the others.


    The other anbu members nodded their heads in acknowledgment.


    Naruto tore the Constructs limbs apart, but each time he did so, the Construct would just continue to regenerate and it was steadily getting used to Naruto''s movements as well. This series of back and forth fighting only further caused rage to build up within Kurama''s mind as he poured more and more chakra into Naruto. Soon, a sixth tail appeared and with this tail, lightning struck Naruto''s body as bones formed around him in the shape of the fox''s own skeleton. The resulting transformation pressured the newly arrived anbu and jonin ninjas.


    "Oi.... Is there even anything we can do here?" One jonin ninja mumbled in disbelief.


    The others could only silently gulp as they wondered that themselves.


    "Shut up! We must do our job in making sure these two monsters don''t get anywhere near the village and wait for Lord Hokage to arrive!" The Anbu member who spoke earlier shouted.


    This sudden shout reignited the fires within the hearts of the others present, but even then, they still found themselves debating on how to handle the situation.


    Naruto and The Constructs battle was steadily getting further out of control as the landscape was torn apart around them. The Construct changed its arm into a spike as it launched it straight toward Naruto, but was unable to pierce him. However, it sent Naruto flying in the opposite direction from the impact.


    In retaliation, Naruto fired another smaller chakra blast at the Construct, blowing a chunk of its head clean off. The Constructs head regenerated and the two charged at each other once again.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    The Hokage was rushing toward the fight when Jiraiya appeared beside him.


    "Jiraiya..." Sarutobi murmured.


    "Lord Third... I know things are bad right now, but I have a request." Jiraiya spoke.


    "What is it?" Sarutobi asked.


    "Let me take Naruto away from the village." Jiraiya answered.


    "What? Why?" Sarutobi asked again. He wasn''t against the idea, but he still wondered what Jiraiya''s intentions were.


    "I believe that after today, the village will no longer be able to stand Naruto''s presence, and I fear Danzo is already up to something as well. You can''t protect Naruto anymore while he stays here. So, let me take him away after we''ve settled everything, and I can train and protect him until he''s strong enough to stand on his own." Jiraiya explained.


    "Is that all, Jiraiya?" Sarutobi asked.


    "It''s also because he''s the son of my former pupil." Jiraiya laughed.


    Sarutobi nodded his head in understanding.


    "Very well, I''ll leave Naruto to you then." Sarutobi replied.


    "Thank you!" Jiraiya thanked.


    Suddenly, the two felt a sudden spike in the chakra density surrounding Naruto.


    Not good! The two of them thought as they hurried faster to the area.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto and The Construct fought but there still didn''t seem to be any sign of a victor appearing. While Naruto was clearly more powerful, The Constructs unlimited regenerative abilities left it still being able to fight. Which left the two in a constant stalemate, as neither could gain an edge on taking down the other.


    However, things began to change when The Construct was finally able to pierce through Naruto.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto opened his eyes and found himself in a familiar, yet strange place once again. Just like last time, Hateshi was sitting cross legged in front of him.


    "Welcome back!" Hateshi greeted with a warm smile.


    "Huh? What was I doing?" Naruto asked.


    "You don''t remember? Well you tapped into Kurama''s power and you were devoured by it." Hateshi answered.


    "What? But why? I should be able to handle it!" Naruto exclaimed.


    "Yes, well, that would be the case if you had taken care of the darkness in your heart before now." Hateshi replied.


    "What do you mean?" Naruto asked.


    "I mean you haven''t done the training to handle Kurama''s power in this timeline. That means you still have darkness within your heart and you still haven''t done anything about Kurama''s hatred as well either. So, letting go of your restraints naturally allowed that fox to take control." Hateshi answered.


    Naruto stared in shock at Hateshi as he spoke. He grabbed his head as he began to worry about the situation.


    "But wait... Why am I here?" Naruto looked up as he shouted.


    "It''s because The Construct was finally able to pierce you, thus creating a link for me to bring you here." Hateshi replied calmly.


    "Eh?" Naruto uttered with wide eyes.


    "But how?"


    "Well, the Constructs are a part of the world, sooner or later, it would have developed the ability to pierce you even when you''re covered in Kurama''s cloak." Hateshi answered.


    "Why are you so nonchalant about everything?!" Naruto shouted.


    The way Hateshi was acting calm and as if nothing was bothering him had really started to piss Naruto off.


    "Why should I worry about your situation? I can simply start over again. I told you already, I''m just an observer. If I get bored with the situation, I''ll just move on and watch something else." Hateshi replied with a cold smile.


    Naruto stared at Hateshi, he slowly realized that Hateshi didn''t think like normal people, he didn''t value life like everyone else he knew, and therefore didn''t hold the same morals.


    "Then why did you help me last time?" Naruto asked after taking a deep breath.


    "Because it seemed fun!" Hateshi laughed.


    "Fun?!" Naruto exclaimed.


    "Exactly, it looked like it''d be fun to move around in your world through you. Unfortunately, your body couldn''t handle the strain properly at the time. Too bad, I was enjoying myself too." Hateshi sulked as he was thinking about the previous time.


    Naruto unconsciously took a step back as he wrapped his head around Hateshi''s words. The guy was insane, but he seemed different last time... Why was that? Naruto wondered.


    "You''re wondering why I seem different than last time." Hateshi spoke.


    Naruto was brought out of his thoughts as he looked at Hateshi in surprise.


    "How did-" Naruto began.


    "Because it''s written all over your face, and your actions. You''re starting to realize that I''m not like everyone else you know. However, think for a moment Naruto, who would be sane if they were stuck to watch endless cycles of life and death over and over for eternity? Who would be sane if they were forced only to watch and never able to interact with anything at all?!" Hateshi asked as he grew increasingly more unstable.


    "Then, finally, you finally get the chance to interact with the very thing you''ve been watching for so long, but only for a little while. After which you are forced to watch yet again, only able to wonder if you''ll ever get the chance again? Who would be sane in that situation?"


    Naruto took a step back as Hateshi ranted at him.


    "I have been in The Void for as long as I can remember. Doomed to watch your world''s history endlessly."


    "How could I possibly be sane?" Hateshi whispered quietly.


    "Before, I had no idea what the feeling of air against skin was, the adrenaline that one gets when fighting, the feeling of one''s fist making contact against another''s body. The pain, the smells, the sounds and the emotions that you get to experience in everyday life.... It was so colorful."


    "But now I do know, and knowing was something I had no idea could cause so much pain and anguish. Have you ever heard a saying, ignorance is bliss? Not many can really appreciate it until they''ve experienced the pain that certain knowledge can bring." Hateshi spoke.


    Naruto was beyond confused as he watched Hateshi.


    "Now, let''s watch, shall we? Your consciousness is no longer in your body, so all that''s left is for your friend Kurama to wreak havoc." Hateshi grinned.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    After getting pierced by The Construct, Naruto grabbed it and ripped it''s arm off, then jumped away to pull the arm piercing him out.


    He growled in anger as he glared at The Construct, then he began to gather chakra. The surrounding ninja shivered as they witnessed the amount of chakra that Naruto was gathering.


    "What is he planning to do with that?" One asked.


    "We can only prepare ourselves." Another responded.


    Soon however, The Third Hokage and Jiraiya appeared while Gamabunta had arrived as well.


    "Gamabunta!" Jiraiya called out.


    "Jiraiya!" Gamabunta looked down at the Toad Sage.


    "What happened? If you''re here, that must mean Naruto summoned you before he changed." Jiraiya asked.


    "We were fighting Orochimaru, but that brat let the Nine-Tails power erode his mind and he lost control. Then whatever that thing is appeared from the sky in a black orb." Gamabunta answered.


    "Orochimaru?! I should have known he would somehow be involved in this!" Jiraiya exclaimed.


    "Yeah, he was here, it seems he is targeting someone and Naruto was attempting to stop him." Gamabunta continued to say.


    "Orochimaru... the situation is even more dire than I had originally thought.... if even that snake is here." Sarutobi murmured.


    "What should we do?" Jiraiya asked.


    "While Orochimaru does concern me, right now we have more pressing matters to take care of." Sarutobi answered.


    "Right, so what''s the plan?" Jiraiya wondered.


    "You said that being over there appeared from the sky in a black orb?" Sarutobi asked Gamabunta.


    "Yes!" Gamabunta replied.


    "Black orb...? I believe something similar was mentioned within Kakashi''s report during their mission in the Land of Waves!" Sarutobi commented.


    "Oh? Then how did they handle the situation?" Jiraiya asked looking hopeful.


    "Apparently it was Naruto who handled it, but Kakashi had stated that Naruto had changed somehow during that process, so he could never figure out how Naruto had dealt with it." Sarutobi replied.


    "I see, so the situation isn''t looking good at all." Jiraiya spoke.


    "Indeed, but we must figure out a way to undo Naruto''s Nine-Tails state before it is too late, and we must figure out what to do with that being over there!" Sarutobi concluded.


    As they spoke Naruto had finished gathering chakra and condensed it into a small sphere and swallowed it.


    Just as Naruto was about to fire the Tailed Beast Bomb, The Construct had rushed over and kicked Naruto''s chin up, making him face the sky right as he fired. The blast flew high into the sky before finally detonating, sending massive shock waves toward the ground making everyone hold on as the trees bent over from the pressure.


    "That was close!" Jiraiya commented as he wiped sweat off his forehead.


    "Indeed, we must act now in order to get this situation under control!" Sarutobi replied.


    The two shinobis then rushed down onto the ground and faced Naruto and The Construct.

 33 Chapter 33 Meeting Again!

    Sarutobi and Jiraiya landed on the ground and faced Naruto and The Construct, drawing their attention toward them.


    "Looks like they noticed us." Jiraiya commented.


    "Hah, at least it means they both think of us as a threat." Sarutobi replied.


    "Well, we both have seen better days, but why don''t we show them a thing or two then." Jiraiya suggested.


    "I couldn''t agree more." Sarutobi replied.


    The two began walking toward Naruto and The Construct as they prepared themselves to engage them.


    Naruto growled as the two shinobis approached him, while The Construct silently regarded their presence.


    Jiraiya looked around as he surveyed the scene and noticed Orochimaru for the first time.


    "Looks like you got more than you bargained for." Jiraiya spoke, catching Orochimaru''s attention as well as Sarutobi''s.


    Sarutobi frowned slightly as he noticed Orochimaru''s presence as well.


    Orochimaru smiled lightly after hearing Jiraiya''s remark. "Hoh, indeed, it would seem that way, wouldn''t it? But how do you think you would fair against beings such as these?" Orochimaru questioned.


    "Orochimaru, that''s enough out of you!" Sarutobi snapped.


    Orochimaru frowned slightly as he looked over at Sarutobi.


    "The situation is currently beyond any of our abilities alone, so as much as I loathe your existence now, we must put aside our differences and work together to get through this." Sarutobi spoke.


    "Ever the peace-loving fool, eh? Sarutobi-sensei!" Orochimaru grinned.


    "Orochimaru! What is your answer!" Jiraiya shouted.


    "Heh, well I would hate to have you think of me as one who doesn''t understand a situation. I''ll cooperate with you for now." Orochimaru replied as he slowly approached the two.


    Soon, all three of them stood side by side as they faced off against Naruto and The Construct.


    "NO ONE IS TO INTERFERE! THIS IS MY ORDER AS HOKAGE!!" Sarutobi shouted, informing the nearby ninja.


    While they weren''t happy with the order, the nearby jonin and Anbu members understood the reason behind it. At a level of this nature, they would only be a burden for the Hokage and the others. So all they could do was wish for the safety of the Hokage.


    "Naruto.... I don''t know if you can hear me in there, but I promise, I will save you!" Sarutobi said as he looked at Naruto.


    Naruto only growled in response.


    "Our objective is to return Naruto back to normal!" Sarutobi announced.


    Jiraiya nodded in agreement, however, Orochimaru looked indifferent.


    "Hmph!..." Orochimaru snorted.


    Sarutobi quickly formed hand seals.


    Tiger ¡ú Hare ¡ú Boar ¡ú Dog


    <Earth Release: Mud Wall Jutsu>


    Large earthen walls began rising out of the ground as they encircled and caged them all within. Sarutobi then held another hand seal.


    Tiger


    <Earth Release: Great Mud River>


    The ground below Naruto turned soft and turned into mud causing him to lose his footing in the ground.


    Naruto extended his arms out as he grabbed onto solid ground to pull himself out. The other arm had shot out in an attempt to grab hold of Sarutobi. However, Jiraiya slammed his hands onto the ground right at that moment.


    <Ninja Art: Toad Mouth Trap>


    Summoning a Toad''s stomach around himself and Naruto as well. Allowing Sarutobi to get away.


    Moments later though, Naruto tore through the body of the toad, allowing him to gain his freedom while Jiraiya got out as well. He was bleeding slightly as he remembered what had happened.


    Naruto had slammed his fists onto the ground creating a shock wave, then he ripped at the toad''s body with his hands. The shock wave had gotten Jiraiya slightly, causing a small amount of blood to seep out of his mouth.


    "This brat is quite powerful." Orochimaru mused.


    "Indeed, but we must keep an eye out for that other thing over there" Jiraiya replied.


    "Hehe, I never took my eye off of it." Orochimaru grinned.


    Orochimaru then left Jiraiya and Sarutobi alone to deal with Naruto while he alone went to fight against The Construct.


    "Orochimaru!" Jiraiya called out after him.


    "Don''t bother Jiraiya, as long as he doesn''t get in our way, I''m more than willing to let him handle whatever that is, we must focus on Naruto however!" Sarutobi cut him off, before he could chase after Orochimaru.


    Orochimaru glanced back and smirked to himself. Let''s see how long those fools can keep up with the brat! Orochimaru grinned.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto watched as the fight had begun. He gripped his fists tightly as he worried about the situation that was happening.


    "Please! We have to do something!" Naruto yelled.


    "I don''t have to do anything, why should I?" Hateshi asked.


    "I''m begging you, I''ll do anything!" Naruto pleaded with Hateshi.


    "Anything? That''s an interesting word, many people will use it in order to get what they want, but they also don''t actually mean it." Hateshi replied.


    "What do you mean?" Naruto asked.


    "I mean, when people say that, they don''t actually mean anything. Which implies that they would be willing to do anything of everything. Instead, they use it as an ambiguous promise in order to get what they want, and when they have to keep up their end of the promise, they try to back out." Hateshi explained.


    "But-" Naruto began.


    "No buts! If I told you that in order for me to help you, I required you to kill one of your friends, would you do it? Because by telling me anything, that is something I could ask." Hateshi interrupted.


    Naruto looked down in thought. There didn''t seem to be any way he could get Hateshi to help him. He thought about all the things he wouldn''t be able to do if someone asked him to. Just because it went against everything he stood for and who he was as a person. Then Naruto thought of something, if he couldn''t make an empty promise, then maybe if he took a more direct approach, he would be able to do something about his current situation.


    "Then.... What is it that you want?" Naruto asked.


    Hateshi was silent for a moment before he grinned widely at Naruto.


    "Looks like you are learning, that''s the right question you should be asking." Hateshi laughed.


    "What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.


    "I mean, that by asking me what it is that I want, you no longer trap yourself in an unknown situation. You no longer give me the option of asking anything of you in return for helping you out." Hateshi replied.


    "Then?" Naruto began.


    "Well, I make no promises, but let''s see, what do you think it is that I want?" Hateshi asked.


    Naruto brought his hand to his chin as he began thinking about what it was that Hateshi would want.


    "You should probably think quickly; the situation down there doesn''t look too good right now." Hateshi casually spoke.


    Naruto looked over and his eyes widened in shock at the scene he was witnessing.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    While Sarutobi and Jiraiya were focusing on Naruto, Orochimaru had been fighting against The Construct. He had summoned The Sword of Kusanagi as he fought against The Construct. Orochimaru parried The Construct''s blow as it swung toward his head. After he parried the blow he spun and swung the blade horizontally chopping The Construct''s body in half.


    Orochimaru frowned shortly after as he witnessed The Construct put itself back together and continue charging him with the same intensity as before. As they fought, The Construct knocked the blade out of Orochimaru''s hand and thrust its hand in a stabbing motion toward Orochimaru.


    Dog ¡ú Horse ¡ú Bird


    <Wind Release: Breakthrough Jutsu>


    Orochimaru inhaled before exhaling a large gust of wind blowing The Construct away from him before it could stab him.


    Tiger ¡ú Ox ¡ú Dog ¡ú Rabbit ¡ú Snake


    <Sound Wave Technique>


    Orochimaru brought his hands together as he created a sudden burst of sound to subdue The Construct. However, to his surprise, The Construct was unaffected as it rushed forward and swung it''s arm, piercing Orochimaru through the chest.


    Orochimaru coughed out blood as he gazed silently at The Construct. It''s ability to regenerate is astonishing, if only I could take a piece of it for my research¡­ Orochimaru thought. Then his face contorted as he opened his mouth. A hand slowly appeared before pulling the mouth open even more to allow Orochimaru to come out. Then he flicked his finger and The Sword of Kusanagi flew toward The Construct from behind impaling it with Orochimaru''s discarded corpse.


    "Hoh, this is more difficult than I imagined." Orochimaru grinned as he watched The Construct struggle to rid itself of Orochimaru''s corpse and the blade that had impaled it into the body onto the ground.


    Orochimaru brought his index and middle finger up in front of him.


    The Construct''s movements halted as invisible chains wrapped around its body. Orochimaru frowned as he could still feel The Construct struggling under the effects of the jutsu.


    Jiraiya and Sarutobi were focused on Naruto while Orochimaru was dealing with The Construct. The two of them had tried multiple ways of containing Naruto and trying to stop his movements so that they could get close. However, it seemed that Naruto was just too powerful in his current state as he tore through everything.


    Sarutobi bit his thumb and performed hand seals in rapid succession.


    Boar ¡ú Dog ¡ú Bird ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Ram


    Then he slammed his palm onto the ground as he shouted.


    <Summoning Jutsu>


    "Come out! Monkey King Enma!"


    Smoke appeared and soon a figure appeared within. Enma looked around the battlefield in order to gain some kind of understanding of what was happening. He noticed Naruto in front of him as well as Orochimaru who was busy fighting against The Construct.


    "The Nine-Tails, and Orochimaru¡­ Just what have you gotten us involved with¡­ Sarutobi?" Enma asked.


    "Enma¡­. We are focusing on restraining the Nine-Tails in order to reverse the transformation. Orochimaru isn''t our concern right now." Sarutobi replied.


    "I see¡­ I understand, but you better watch your back Sarutobi, there''s no telling what Orochimaru will do in this situation!" Enma said as he jumps next to Sarutobi and transforms into his adamantine staff form.


    Sarutobi grabbed the staff and swung it around his body before rushing toward Naruto. The staff extended out as Sarutobi swung it around him toward Naruto. Naruto growled as he gazed at the staff and lifted his hand up to knock the staff away. While distracted by Sarutobi, Jiraiya had also moved as well.


    Jiraiya slammed hi hands onto the ground as he yelled.


    <Summoning Technique: Mayhem Jutsu>


    Suddenly, a large toad appeared into the sky and fell on top of Naruto, Pinning him down. Taking this opportunity, Sarutobi rushed forward and got close enough to Naruto for Enma to clone himself to create the adamantine prison around Naruto just as he lifted the toad off of him and threw it, sending it flying across the sky as it landed in another part of the forest.


    Kurama who was currently in control of Naruto''s body was extremely furious at the moment, his focus wasn''t on the three shinobis but rather the strange entity itself. He had witnessed it before through Naruto when it appeared on that bridge. He had also felt the strange entity that had occupied Naruto during that time as well. It also hadn''t escaped his notice that Naruto''s mind was now somewhere else as well.


    All of these things piqued his curiosity, but the fact that the strange being in front of him couldn''t die was agitating him beyond belief. So, he continued to pour more and more chakra and hatred into Naruto''s body, and as time passed, the closer the seal was getting to breaking. This was the one thing that was brightening the mood of the fox demon as he hated the seal containing him within Naruto. Especially the man that had sealed him, just thinking about him caused him to be overwhelmed with anger.


    Soon, Naruto had formed the seventh tail and the eighth tail was slowly forming as well. This sudden eruption of power caused the clones of Enma to disperse as he was sent flying away. Sarutobi caught him and gripped his fists tightly together as the group watched as Naruto slowly got closer to the fox''s true form. Orochimaru was distracted by this and was suddenly sent flying away by the Construct as it freed itself from his jutsu. He glanced up and wiped the blood from his mouth as he watched the scene in slight wonder and amusement. If only I could capture this child for myself, Orochimaru thought to himself, he really is a waste on these idiots.


    The more he saw of Naruto''s abilities, the more he wanted to experiment on him and to use him as a grinding stone to further push Sasuke''s abilities. That way, he would have the perfect vessel.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto watched as eight tails formed on himself and his body had almost completely transformed into Kurama''s form. The only thing missing was the skin and fur at this point in time.


    "Please! I don''t have time, just tell me what you want in exchange for helping me this time!" Naruto shouted.


    Hateshi looked at the scene before his eyes and sighed to himself.


    "Naruto, I want you to think for just a moment, what do you think you can possibly do in your current state?" Hateshi replied.


    "I could reverse the transformation!" Naruto said.


    "How?" Hateshi asked.


    Naruto closed his mouth and stared at Hateshi.


    "I thought so." Hateshi turned around.


    "The last time this happened to you, was during your fight with Pain when he attacked your village. What saved you that time was your first meeting with The Fourth Hokage; Namikaze Minato, better known to you as your father." Hateshi spoke.


    "As things stand right now, that situation is going to occur here in this timeline."


    "But after that, what are you going to do? Or were you planning on letting me handle the situation again?"


    Naruto was quiet, truthfully, he hadn''t really thought about it. But Hateshi was right, which frustrated him.


    "Naruto, I gave you a second chance at life, maybe you should try thinking about how you''ll use it wisely more."


    "So, what do you think you should do? And what do you think it is that I want?" Hateshi asked.


    Naruto looked down at his feet, and he noticed that the ground below him was actually a mirror image, and he saw himself reflected back at him.


    He saw himself, and in himself, he saw the uncertainty and fear that had been building up within him. All the doubts about his choices and decisions, whether he was doing the right thing. Then he remembered Hateshi''s words about how knowledge can hurt. He realized then and there what he meant. Before, Naruto had no idea how things would turn out, so he had no choice but to have faith in himself. This time though, he knew what was coming, and knew what kind of consequences his choices would have.


    But at the same time, the more things he changed, and the more he became uncertain about things, the more he grew worried and the more he began to doubt himself. He remembered all the lessons he learned over the course of his life that had helped shaped him into who he became. Then he remembered the previous time that Hateshi had helped him, as well as Hateshi''s outburst that happened earlier.


    He looked up at Hateshi again and breathed out slowly.


    "The seal you used, it works on The Constructs, so you could teach me and I''ll use that to take care of it." Naruto said.


    Hateshi nodded his head while a grin slowly surfaced across his face.


    "The thing that you want most right now.... Is a body that you can use to interact with the world." Naruto slowly said.


    Hateshi grinned widely. "Exactly! It seems you do pay attention to what I''ve been telling you!"


    "So, how will you get me a body to use?" Hateshi asked.


    Naruto looked down in thought, trying to come up with a way of accomplishing this task.


    "I could let you use my body!" Naruto said.


    Hateshi blinked in surprise upon hearing Naruto''s words.


    "Yeah! Just like when I let Kurama borrow my body during The Fourth Great Ninja War!" Naruto said as he nodded his head.


    "I see, I suppose I shouldn''t be surprised that, that''s what you''d come up with." Hateshi replied.


    "However, I have a better suggestion." Hateshi grinned.


    "What is it?" Naruto asked.


    "Orochimaru!" Hateshi replied.


    "Eh?! What do you mean?" Naruto asked.


    "Orochimaru is an expert when it comes to acquiring bodies, so it only stands to reason that he is the one we should go to in order for me to attain a body. But I''ll take you up on your offer and inhabit your body for now until Orochimaru can satisfy my request." Hateshi explained.


    "But there''s no way he would help us!" Naruto retorted.


    "Trust me Naruto, he wouldn''t be able to resist the desire of what I am going to propose to him." Hateshi replied.


    Naruto was conflicted, he never liked Orochimaru, and he also couldn''t trust the snake either. But he also knew that Hateshi wouldn''t really be satisfied with just partial time to interact with the world.


    "Okay, but how will we get him to help?" Naruto asked.


    "You leave that to me; I''ll take care of it. First, we need to deal with your problem."


    Naruto nodded in agreement. "Okay, so will you teach me the seal?"


    "I have no problems with that; however, it will take you some time to master it. Which isn''t something we have time, so for now, I''ll seal myself within you and help you out again, and while we wait for Orochimaru to create a body for me to use, I''ll teach you the seal." Hateshi explained.


    "Alright, what do I do then?" Naruto asked.


    "Nothing, just leave it to me." Hateshi smiled.


    Naruto nodded and stood quietly while he watched Hateshi start forming seals. Then he placed his palm over Naruto''s heart and placed the seal over it. Light flashed and soon, Hateshi was nowhere to be seen as Naruto''s vision went dark.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto opened his eyes to see that he was once again within his mindscape where he saw Kurama behind the large caged doors that represented the seal. He then felt pain searing from his stomach as the seal there began to darken and spill out forming a pool around him as the seal began to break.


    The ninth tail had formed as the fox thrashed about, destroying everything in his path.


    Naruto looked up and felt all the hatred and anger that was emanating from Kurama. However, at that moment, a figure appeared in front of him.


    "You!" Kurama growled as he stared at the figure that had appeared.


    "Yo! I really hoped I wouldn''t see you again Nine-Tails, but I guess I shouldn''t be too upset, after all, it gives me a chance to meet my son again." The figure spoke.


    Naruto looked up as waves of emotions washed over him once more. He had already expected this to happen, but he was still caught off guard by the sudden surge of emotions that appeared when his father finally showed up.


    "Hey, Naruto." Minato spoke.

 34 Chapter 34 Moving Forward!

    "Hey, Naruto." Minato said.


    Naruto looked at his father, he didn''t want to cry, but he couldn''t help it as tears came down his face.


    "Minato!" Kurama growled, as he slammed his claws against the cage.


    "Why don''t you come over here so I can tear you apart!"


    "Scary, but that makes me not want to go over there even more." Minato replied.


    Then he looked over at Naruto again.


    "Why don''t we go somewhere more private so we can talk uninterrupted." Minato smiled as he snapped his fingers together, bringing them into a new space.


    Minato stared at Naruto for a moment in silence. He smiled as he looked at the boy in front of him. Just as he was about to speak, Naruto had rushed over and grabbed hold of him in a hug. Both surprising him and making him happy that his son was hugging him.


    "Naruto, I-" Minato began.


    "You don''t need to say anything, I already know." Naruto interrupted.


    Minato looked at Naruto with slight confusion appearing on his face. "You already know? What do you already know?" Minato asked.


    "Everything, I know about who attacked the village when Kurama attacked, I know about mom and you and-" Naruto got caught on his own words as his own emotions were making it difficult for him to find the words he wanted to say.


    He took a breath to calm himself before he spoke again.


    "Actually, I''m from the future, I already know what''s going to happen." Naruto said.


    Minato stared at Naruto in surprise as he listened to Naruto begin rambling. He''d seen Naruto growing up all this time, and he had noticed a sudden change occur in him. Especially when he witnessed Naruto use the Rasengan without being taught.


    "I know it sounds crazy, and you might not believe what I''m saying, but-" Naruto began to ramble.


    Suddenly, Minato hugged Naruto embracing him tightly.


    "You don''t need to explain anything to me, Naruto¡­" Minato smiled at him.


    Naruto stared back at Minato in surprise.


    "You¡­ Believe me?" Naruto asked.


    "Of course!" Minato grinned.


    "What kind of parent would I be if I didn''t believe my own son!"


    Naruto stared at Minato in surprise before he suddenly broke out into a grin and laughed. Minato smiled in response as he watched Naruto.


    "Of course, I''ve also been able to see everything you experienced up to now. So, I could tell something changed within you."


    "But why don''t you tell me everything you''ve experienced." Minato suggested.


    Naruto nodded and he began describing how the original timeline went. Starting from the Sand''s attack on the leaf, all the way to the events of The Fourth Great Ninja War and finally to when he died after facing off against Sasuke one last time. Then he explained everything he went through after being brought back in time by Hateshi.


    "You''ve been through a lot Naruto; I couldn''t be any prouder than I am right now!" Minato grinned.


    Naruto stared at Minato as he blinked back tears of happiness as he grinned.


    "Naruto, I know that you''re worried about making the wrong decisions. But don''t worry, you were able to save the world before, and I''m sure you''ll be able to do it again." Minato smiled.


    "How can you be so sure though? I might mess something up-" Naruto replied.


    "You won''t, because you''re my son! I believe you''ll make the right decisions, just keep doing what you''ve always done." Minato interrupted.


    Naruto looked down. "I thought I was ready to face this, but I still can''t help feeling doubt about everything I do."


    "It''s something we all face Naruto, we never know if what we''re doing is the right thing, but we have to keep going despite of our doubts and fears." Minato smiled.


    Naruto looked up to see his father smiling back at him.


    "You just have to make the choices you won''t regret, that''s all we can do."


    Naruto grinned and nodded his head. "You''re right¡­."


    "Now, I''ll fix up the seal this time and reverse the transformation, I have faith that when the time comes, you''ll be able to befriend Kurama again. I believe you''ll be able to change the future for the better Naruto." Minato spoke as he placed his hand on Naruto''s stomach and twisted his hand as the seal was repaired.


    Then he slowly began disappearing as he pulled Naruto into one last hug before he vanished.


    "Looks like my time is up now¡­"


    "I am sorry for placing this burden on you Naruto, but I always believed you could handle it."


    Naruto hugged Minato back as he nodded. "I know."


    "You''ve grown up to become a splendid ninja Naruto." Minato said as tears started forming around his eyes.


    I only wish I could have been with you as you grew up¡­ Kushina, our son has grown up, I don''t think there''s anything we need to worry about. But thank you for bringing him into this world. Minato thought as his emotions overwhelmed him. His tears fell onto Naruto as Minato''s body grew increasingly more faint.


    Minato vanished into light particles as Naruto looked up, he touched his cheek which still had a single tear drop left behind by Minato. Thanks, dad! Naruto thought to himself as he clenched his fist. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over and saw Hateshi.


    "Feeling better?" Hateshi asked.


    Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I do."


    "Good, now it''s time to take care of the situation happening outside." Hateshi reminded.


    "Right." Naruto slammed his fists together.


    "I''ll deal with The Construct this time, and afterward, I''ll teach you the seal I use, that way you can handle them in the future. Make sure you pay attention again." Hateshi spoke.


    Naruto nodded his head in understanding.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Right as the situation was looking most dire, as The Nine-Tails was almost fully formed, smoke appeared hiding the fox''s form. Everyone watched the scene with tension as they tried to make out what was hidden within the smoke.


    Soon, the smoke cleared revealing Naruto''s figure with his eyes closed.


    Sarutobi and Jiraiya both breathed out a sigh of relief after confirming Naruto''s appearance, but still remained vigilant toward any movement toward Orochimaru and The Construct.


    Suddenly, Naruto (Hateshi) was behind The Construct and threw a punch, sending it flying straight into the sky.


    WHAT!? The three shinobis exclaimed inwardly.


    Naruto (Hateshi) opened up his eyes, revealing them to be pitch black as he grinned widely.


    "Ah, I missed this feeling! Let''s enjoy it as much as we can today!" Naruto (Hateshi) spoke.


    Before anyone could react, Naruto (Hateshi) appeared in front of Orochimaru.


    "I have some things I''d like to discuss with you, so don''t go anywhere." Naruto (Hateshi) nonchalantly spoke, as he twisted his body and kicked Orochimaru in the head, launching him toward the rock wall in the distance.


    Jiraiya and Sarutobi both stared at Naruto in amazement. They were baffled by the sudden change in him. Now I know what Kakashi had meant on that report, Sarutobi thought to himself. This is similar to what that kid attempted when we first met at the hot springs, but it''s on a whole new level. Jiraiya remembered to the time when he first met Naruto in the bath.


    Naruto (Hateshi) raised his arm and caught a foot, causing a crater to form around him as his body sunk into the ground.


    "Patience, let me have some fun, I''ll deal with you in due time, but I''m currently teaching at the moment." Naruto (Hateshi) spoke.


    The Construct grimaced as it let out a howl and began throwing even more punches and kicks toward Naruto (Hateshi). Who deafly deflected all of the blows as they came raining down on him.


    "You''re really quite lively now, what about before? Is it because of my existence? Am I that despised?" Naruto (Hateshi) grinned as he grabbed a hold of The Constructs leg and threw him over his shoulder. The Construct was slammed into the ground and bounced back up into the air, allowing Naruto to round house kick The Construct in the gut, sending it flying backwards.


    "All of you fight with intent, and you all subconsciously respond to it. If there''s a high killing intent, it''s even easier to react to it." Naruto (Hateshi) spoke aloud.


    "Which is why you need to eliminate your own intent."


    Naruto (Hateshi) rushed over to The Construct and jumped flipping over and kicking The Construct''s head and slamming it into the ground.


    Orochimaru picked himself up off the ground and watched with wide eyes at Naruto. He also payed close attention to Naruto''s eyes. What are those eyes? Orochimaru wondered, before deciding that it was no longer time for him to still be around. He slowly began to move closer toward the shadows.


    "I wouldn''t do that if I were you." Naruto (Hateshi) spoke as he turned to look over at Orochimaru, causing him to halt in his steps.


    Suddenly The Construct made a move against Naruto (Hateshi) as it''s arm morphed into a blade as it swiped it toward his neck. Naruto (Hateshi) Leaned backwards dodging the blade, and kicked up, breaking the blade in half that The Construct had formed from it''s arm.


    "Just turning your limbs into bladed objects doesn''t really help all that much, you even make it easier to break than leaving your arm how it is." Naruto (Hateshi) sighed in exasperation.


    "This is why you should just be patient and wait for me to finish enjoying myself, now you''ve gone and ruined my fun!" Naruto (Hateshi) said in annoyance.


    Then he pulled out a kunai and grabbed The Construct''s limbs and impaled them into the ground. Then he placed his foot on top of it''s back and held it in place.


    Orochimaru turned back and glared at Naruto before chuckling. "Hoh, what an amusing child you are, but I''ve already overstayed my visit."


    Then he turned around and rushed off. Naruto (Hateshi) looked over just in time to see Orochimaru rushing away and he shook his head.


    Jiraiya and Sarutobi both had been distracted by Naruto''s performance and had forgotten about Orochimaru, so they were a second late in responding to his sudden escape.


    "Damn it!" Jiraiya cursed as he began to rush after Orochimaru.


    "Jiraiya, stop!" Sarutobi called out.


    Jiraiya turned around looking at The Hokage.


    "That''s enough, we don''t have time to deal with Orochimaru, we must settle the current situation, the chunin exams will be stopped until further notice." Sarutobi announced.


    Naruto (Hateshi) looked silently at the situation around him. Guess I better wrap things up over here, he thought.


    Naruto (Hateshi) placed his hands together and gathered his chakra into his fingertips. A seal formed on each finger and he slammed his palms onto the construct.


    <Eight Cardinal Direction Sealing Release>


    The seals slowly covered The Constructs body, space began distorting around The Construct and cracks appeared. Soon the space shattered and a dimension opened up beneath The Constructs body as it fell in, shortly after, Naruto (Hateshi) Brought his hands together and concentrated as the space slowly restored itself to normal.


    "That takes care of that." Naruto (Hateshi) mused before looking over in a specific direction.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Orochimaru had made some progress in escaping from the area, many new variables had appeared which caused him to rethink some of his plans going forward. Who knew the situation would turn out like this? He thought. However, as he was thinking about his plans, he was suddenly kicked in the head and sent flying toward the ground. He grunted and flipped around landing on his feet and he jumped backwards to gain some distance as he put up his guard.


    Soon, he saw the figure of the person who attacked him, and it was none other than Naruto (Hateshi).


    Orochimaru frowned slightly before grinning widely. "So, I can assume that you are not the child right now."


    "How very astute of you Orochimaru. You are correct though; I am not Naruto. I decided to help him out of this situation in exchange for a few things." Naruto (Hateshi) smiled.


    "Interesting, and what business do you have with me?" Orochimaru asked, his curiosity piqued.


    "Simple, I understand that when it comes to the acquisition of bodies, you happen to be an expert on the matter." Naruto (Hateshi) answered.


    "I see, and what kind of body would you like? I doubt many could compare with that of a jinch¨±riki''s" Orochimaru grinned.


    "It''s not that simple Orochimaru, I don''t want just any body, I want a body unique to me. Not just any body would do, even if it is a jinch¨±riki''s body." Naruto (Hateshi) replied.


    "Hoh, then you are talking about an artificial body?" Orochimaru asked.


    "You could say that." Naruto (Hateshi) grinned.


    "So why should I fulfil this request?" Orochimaru asked.


    "Because you find the idea itself intriguing, and if you don''t do what I ask, I''ll kill you. Unlike Naruto, I have no attachment to the life of a simple human such as yourself." Naruto (Hateshi) grinned with closed eyes.


    Suddenly Orochimaru was surrounded by a terrifying killing intent, it wasn''t something that came from any creature he''d encountered before. His eyes were wide as he stared at the figure in front of him.


    "You know, I mentioned that one should hide their intent while fighting. But I must say, it can be useful from time to time." Naruto (Hateshi) nonchalantly spoke.


    Orochimaru shivered slightly as he unconsciously took a step back. This thing isn''t from this world, Orochimaru realized, it doesn''t belong here¡­ just where did this child find it? Orochimaru had many thoughts swirling within his head, but he managed to keep them concealed behind a neutral expression on his face.


    "It would seem that I have no reason to refuse your request." Orochimaru suddenly said.


    "Good! I would hate for things to become messy. I would like you to remain quiet until you finish it, I''ll find you when the time is right." Naruto (Hateshi) replied before dispersing.


    Orochimaru then exhaled a breath he hadn''t realized he''d been holding in. He looked at his hand that was shaking in from of him. Hehehe, interesting, I''m actually scared of that thing¡­ very interesting¡­ Orochimaru thought to himself as he began laughing. He then began traveling into a new direction than before.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Naruto (Hateshi) suddenly smiled as he received the information from the clone he had created to go after Orochimaru. Looks like things are going well, then I guess it''s time for me to let Naruto have his body back now, he thought. The black in Naruto''s eyes slowly receded, revealing his blue eyes once again. Then he blinked them as Naruto finally came back into control, he looked around the area and saw Sarutobi and Jiraiya walking toward him.


    Looks like it''s finally over now. Naruto thought to himself as he began walking toward the two shinobis.

 35 Chapter 35 Saying Farewell.

    Looks like it''s finally over now. Naruto thought to himself as he began walking toward the The Third Hokage and Jiraiya. He was honestly pretty tired, as his body began to weigh down on him. His feet dragged across the dirt as he slowly made his way over. I think I''m going to sleep for an entire week, my body is killing me! Naruto complained inwardly.


    Sarutobi and Jiraiya both breathed a sigh of relief as they felt that they had finally weathered this disaster. While they had to cancel the chunin exams, Sarutobi figured it wouldn''t take too long for them to put on another exam in the near future. However, he knew that things would be different for Naruto, because Jiraiya had already decided on taking Naruto away from the village for quite some time.


    "Looks like we''ve managed to avoid a disaster from happening." Jiraiya smiled.


    "It would seem to be the case, but I don''t think we played too large a part in this case." Sarutobi replied.


    "Why do you say that?" Jiraiya asked.


    "Hmm, shall we call it an old man''s intuition?" Sarutobi laughed.


    Jiraiya stared at Sarutobi for a moment before he laughed as well.


    "Well, whatever the case, it''s time for me to take Naruto now." Jiraiya said as he turned and started walking toward Naruto.


    Suddenly a group of men surrounded Naruto wearing Anbu masks and cloaks.


    "PROTECT THE HOKAGE AND THE VILLAGE!!" One of the men shouted.


    Then two of them rushed toward Naruto while holding kunais in their hands. One of them went to stab Naruto''s heart while the other was aiming for Naruto''s neck.


    Both Sarutobi and Jiraiya were shocked to see this sudden attack and were caught off guard. Naruto''s eyes opened wide as he stared at the two masked men that were aiming for his life. He didn''t even have time to think.


    Don''t think, just act! Naruto heard a voice inside his head tell him. His body then began moving and before anyone realized it, Naruto had grabbed the wrists of the two masked men and spun, throwing them in opposite directions away from him. Naruto felt his muscles tearing in his arms after making the sudden motions in order to avoid a fatal blow.


    What''s going on? Naruto wondered as his mind started catching up with the situation that was happening. It would seem that someone has become impatient and is taking action against you now. The voice in his head replied. Hateshi? Is that you? Naruto wondered. Who else would you expect to be speaking to you through your mind? Hateshi replied. But don''t worry about that, you have other issues to be worrying about now, stay focused. Naruto then focused back onto the masked men that had taken action against him once more.


    However, before anyone could attack Naruto any further, Sarutobi and Jiraiya had taken action. Jiraiya had summoned a large toad that had stretched out it''s tongue and wrapped around several of the masked men before placing them inside it''s mouth. Sarutobi had created two shadow clones, and with them subdued the rest of the masked men.


    "Seal off this area!" Sarutobi commanded to the surrounding Anbu and ninja''s that he had gathered here.


    While they hadn''t been able to serve a real purpose during the battle that had taken place. The least they could do was at least ensure that no more unwanted guests got in or out of the area without them knowing about it.


    Sarutobi was furious right now, just as the situation had started calming down, someone had ordered an attack on Naruto. If Naruto hadn''t been able to react in time to the assault, then he would have most likely been dead right now. He and Jiraiya then rushed to Naruto''s side after they tied up the masked men.


    An Anbu member wearing a white cloak appeared beside The Hokage as he issued another command.


    "Bring me Ibiki, Inoichi, and Shikaku!" Sarutobi ordered.


    "Yes!" The White Anbu Member replied before disappearing from his spot.


    Sarutobi and Jiraiya approached Naruto who was breathing hard. Once they arrived by his side, he had managed to sit up while gritting his teeth in pain.


    "I want a medical team here now!" Sarutobi commanded to a nearby Anbu team as he began to examine Naruto''s injuries.


    They quickly vanished and rushed off to complete the task they were given.


    "What do you think Jiraiya?" Sarutobi asked.


    Jiraiya looked at the masked men before he finally made his response. "I have no proof, but my gut says it''s Danzo!"


    Sarutobi frowned as he was deep in thought. "Hmmm, I agree with you, but without proof, there''s nothing I can do against him¡­... I''m afraid that with the current situation, there are many who have been reminded of their fear toward the Nine-Tails, and that fear will attach itself to Naruto."


    Jiraiya nodded in agreement. "All the more reason for me to take him away somewhere safe."


    "Hopefully, between Ibiki, Inoichi and Shikaku, we may be able to gain something from these men. But I don''t expect to gain much, Danzo is clever, he wouldn''t make such a simple mistake." Sarutobi said bitterly.


    "I understand. But don''t worry, I''ll make sure Naruto is strong enough to handle himself before I let him come back." Jiraiya replied.


    "It seems that I have failed The Fourth¡­" Sarutobi suddenly said as he looked up at the sky.


    "After everything he did, I wasn''t able to accomplish his final request."


    Jiraiya was silent as he stood beside Sarutobi, he looked over at Naruto who was clutching his arms in pain.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Danzo was sitting down by a small table drinking tea.


    "What is it?" Danzo asked.


    "Reporting from the mission, we failed to eliminate the jinch¨±riki." A man cloaked in black while wearing a mask appeared behind Danzo.


    "I see, have you eliminated all the trails leading back to me?" Danzo asked.


    "Yes!" The man answered.


    "You may leave now." Danzo instructed.


    "Yes!" The man replied before vanishing.


    So, the Nine-Tails child still lives. No matter, if Sarutobi believes that the child will still be welcomed here after this incident, then he truly is a fool. Danzo thought to himself. He then began to continue sipping from his tea in silence.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Kakashi and the others were making their way away from the battle that had been taking place. They could feel the tremors that stemmed from there. Kakashi noticed the expressions on his team''s faces as well as the other genin. He sighed inwardly to himself as he continued leading the group. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks as he brought his hand up to his ear to listen to the radio he wore.


    "Yes. I understand." Kakashi replied after listening.


    "You guys continue on; I''ll be heading back." Kakashi said suddenly before turning around and leaving.


    The other jonin stared at Kakashi with some confusion on their faces before bringing their attention back toward the group of genin.


    "Alright, it''s time we get going, we''re almost to the edge of the forest." Kurenai spoke.


    The group nodded in response to her words, however, Sakura, Sasuke, and Hinata barely registered them, as they were caught up with their own thoughts.


    Kakashi rushed toward the battlefield as quickly as he could. He thought about the moment when he spoke to Jiraiya before everything started.


    -Flashback-


    "Yo! Kakashi." Jiraiya greeted as he walked into Ichiraku''s ramen shop and sat down beside Kakashi.


    "Jiraiya!?" Kakashi looked up in surprise.


    "Worried about those kids taking the exams?" Jiraiya asked.


    Kakashi looked down at his bowl before he replied. "I''m not worried about Naruto, or Sasuke, but I am worried about Sakura, she''s had trouble with her self-confidence recently."


    "I see¡­. Well, I wouldn''t worry too much¡­. Those kids will be just fine!" Jiraiya grinned.


    Kakashi smiled back. "Yes, you''re right."


    "Well, that''s not the real reason I came to speak to you." Jiraiya spoke.


    "What is it?" Kakashi asked.


    "I''m thinking about taking Naruto on as my student." Jiraiya answered.


    Kakashi stared at Jiraiya for a moment in surprise. He then looked away in thought, it made sense to him why Jiraiya would take on Naruto. He was Minato''s son after all, and the resemblance between the two of them was astonishing. But after spending as much time as he did training Naruto, Kakashi couldn''t help but want to refuse.


    "Are you asking? Or telling?" Kakashi asked.


    Jiraiya thought for a moment before chuckling to himself. "If you''re upset about me wanting to take your student from you, then I''ll apologize in advance. But how about you think about it, what do you think is best for Naruto?" Jiraiya responded.


    Kakashi looked away, just as he was about to respond, they saw the Hokage''s summon signal. They both got up from their seats and rushed over to the Hokage''s office.


    "Lord Hokage! What''s wrong?!" A jonin asked, after Kakashi and Jiraiya appeared.


    Sarutobi breathed in deeply from his pipe before exhaling.


    "The Nine-Tails seal is breaking, and Naruto has begun transforming." Sarutobi announced.


    "WHAT?! THIS IS TERRIBLE!!!" A jonin shouted.


    Kakashi stared with wide eyes and before anyone could say anything, he had already begun leaving the room.


    "Kakashi!" Sarutobi called out, halting Kakashi''s movements.


    "I understand your urgency, but we can''t make any mistakes here, this is a very delicate matter that must be handled with care." Sarutobi explained.


    Kakashi took a deep breath before letting it out. He gripped his fists tightly together before he relaxed them. "Yes, Lord Hokage."


    Suddenly, the room shook as they felt the earth quake in the distance. Screams could be heard outside from the villagers as the wind began blowing erratically outside.


    "This is a high priority mission; I want all the jonin in charge of the genin participating in the exam to evacuate them while the rest of you shall assist me in restraining Naruto!!" Sarutobi commanded.


    All of the jonin in the room saluted before vanishing from their places as they rushed to meet the Hokage''s orders.


    "Jiraiya, I would like you to assist us in this matter as well." Sarutobi spoke.


    "Understood." Jiraiya replied.


    Jiraiya then turned to leave as Kakashi walked out beside him.


    "Kakashi, if things get worse, then I will have no choice but to take Naruto with me. He won''t be safe here for awhile." Jiraiya spoke.


    Kakashi remained silent.


    Jiraiya sighed before giving one last comment. "Just be aware of the situation."


    "Jiraiya, if what you say does happen, please contact me." Kakashi suddenly said.


    Jiraiya looked at Kakashi for a moment before he nodded his head in response. Then he rushed off, leaving Kakashi alone with his thoughts. As Kakashi was walking out of the Hokage building and met up with the other jonin in charge of the genin teams participating in the exam and together they rushed off.


    -End of Flashback-


    Soon Kakashi finally arrived at the battlefield. Where he saw Naruto over by The Hokage and Jiraiya, he also noticed several unconscious men that had been tied up and grouped together. He also noticed Ibiki and Inoichi working on them while Shikaku had begun walking toward The Hokage after speaking with the other two.


    Kakashi made his way toward The Hokage, Naruto, and Jiraiya as well.


    Once he got there, he overheard Shikaku speaking to The Hokage.


    "Their minds have been shattered Lord Hokage, it seems they were prepared in case of failure, so we can''t be sure we''ll gain anything useful from them. But it does match similar cases we''ve encountered before in regards to Danzo''s men."


    "I see, thank you Shikaku, you may go." Sarutobi replied.


    Then he looked over at Kakashi who was walking toward them.


    "Kakashi, why are you here? I thought I told you to evacuate the genin." Sarutobi asked.


    "I contacted him, he asked me to if things ended up like this." Jiraiya answered Sarutobi''s question.


    "I see. Then are you aware of what has happened?" Sarutobi asked.


    "Yes!" Kakashi answered.


    "Then I''ll leave you alone with Naruto, I''m sure there are things you''d like to say to him." Sarutobi said as he walked away.


    Kakashi approached Naruto and nodded toward Jiraiya who responded similarly.


    By this time, Naruto had mostly recovered, his body was still exhausted, and he was still in pain, but it was now bearable. Naruto looked up to see Kakashi standing in front of him.


    "Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto said as he wondered what was going on.


    Kakashi squatted down in front of Naruto and placed his hand on Naruto''s shoulder.


    "Naruto¡­. I''m sorry¡­." Kakashi said as he tried to find the words to say.


    "Eh? Why are you apologizing for Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, confused.


    "Because of what has happened, Jiraiya will be taking you away from the village¡­" Kakashi said.


    "Eh? Why?" Naruto asked.


    But then he paused and thought for a moment as he remembered everything that had happened. It was most likely because he had gotten so close to transforming in Kurama, and put everyone at risk in the village.


    Kakashi looked down for a moment before he continued speaking.


    "I had wanted to continue training you and seeing your growth, but it looks like I won''t be able to do that now." Kakashi smiled bitterly.


    "Naruto¡­. Grow up strong, I believe you''ll become a very important shinobi one day!" Kakashi said.


    Naruto looked up at Kakashi and nodded his head as he revealed a determined look in his eyes.


    "I will!" He replied.


    "Shall we go now?" Jiraiya said as he walked up beside Naruto.


    "Mm!" Naruto nodded.


    Jiraiya laid down a scroll in front of the two. Naruto then looked back to Kakashi one last time.


    "Tell Sasuke and Sakura that I''m sorry, and I''ll see them as soon as I can!" Naruto called out to Kakashi.


    Naruto then gazed in the direction of the village for one last time before he disappeared.


    Kakashi watched Naruto disappear with Jiraiya silently, he wondered when he would ever see him again, how much Naruto would have grown by then. Looks like I have to make sure to increase Sasuke''s and Sakura''s training before he comes back, otherwise they won''t be able to keep up at all with him. Kakashi smiled inwardly as he turned to leave.

 36 Chapter 36 Ais Journey!

    The clouds were heavy above in the sky, lightning flashed, illuminating the water below as two figures faced each other. The two rushed toward one another and clashed right as thunder sounded in the distance, blade against blade as sparks flew between them. The first man grabbed the wrist of the second and twisted it, making him drop his kunai. He then pulled his arm over his shoulder and threw him over it. The first man grinned as he brought his kunai above his head and swung his arm down, intending to stab the man as he held his arm in his hand. The second man brought his hands together, crossing his fingers together and created a clone. The clone grabbed the first man''s arm before he could fully bring it down. Then the second man brought his legs up and wrapped them around the neck of the first man while the clone dispersed, then he twisted his body as he swung it around his neck, causing the first man to lose his grip on the second man''s wrist.


    He then grabbed the first man''s shoulders and twisted his core as he used all of his strength to throw him.


    The first man who was thrown landed on the surface of the water and rolled. While rolling he stabilized himself and slowly got up onto his feet.


    "You''ve improved a lot ******" The first man said with a grin.


    The second man remained silent with a conflicted expression on his face.


    "No words? Fine, we can settle this with our fists then." The first man remarked.


    "But you had to have known this was coming! There was only one way this could end!" The first man laughed as he launched himself forward to face his opponent.


    The second man remained motionless, and right as the two were about to clash once again, lightning flashed once again darkening their figures casting their shadows far upon the surface of the water. The first man grinned while the second one wore a conflicted expression upon his face. The first man threw a punch toward the second man''s face, which was deflected to the side and a counter punch was thrown toward his face. He leaned backwards as he dodged the blow, then he leaned to the side bringing his right leg up into an arch as he swung it toward the second man''s periphery and kicked him in the side of his head. Then he brought his foot back down, rotating his body while the second man was sent flying into the distance.


    "Why didn''t you counter? That should have been easy to dodge." The first man asked with a perplexed expression.


    The second man grunted in pain as he was spinning in air. He brought his hands together and created two clones that grabbed his arms and threw him back toward the first man before dispersing. The first man grinned as he prepared himself to fight again as the second man approached him.


    "That''s more like it!" The first man grinned.


    The second man skipped across the water''s surface as he flew before sliding to a stop. He grinned as blood seeped out of his mouth, dripping onto the surface of the water, dying it the color red as his blood mixed with it. He looked over at the second man.


    "You don''t look like you''re enjoying this fight?! I wonder why that is¡­. Is it because ****** **** ** ** *******?" The first man asked.


    The second man remained silent as he stared at the first man.


    "Well, **** *** ** ***** **** *** *** **** **** ***** **** ***!!" The first man shouted.


    "I ****** *** ** ***** *** **** **** *** ** *****"


    "You''re lucky, *** *** ** **** * ***** ******¡­..." The first man said after calming down.


    "So, this is it, huh.... Then give me a proper sendoff¡­..." The first man said with a tired expression.


    Thunder was heard overhead as lightning flashed all around them, then the two once again rushed toward each other to clash again. They both brought up another kunai and swung the blades toward each other.


    ...¡­


    Ai woke up gasping for breath, her eyes opened wide, her heart racing as it pounded within her chest. She clutched at it, trying to calm herself down. She sat up in her bed as she held her head that was throbbing. Just what was that dream? She wondered. But no matter how much she tried to remember the dream, the more she tried, the more she realized she couldn''t remember anything about it. She could only recall the feelings she got from the dream.


    Once she had calmed down, she slowly got out of the bed she was sleeping in. Despite the questions and the warning in heart that she felt, there was nothing she could do about that strange dream she felt she had. So, with a slight feeling of regret, she decided to focus on the things at hand. This was the third inn she had stayed at since she parted ways from Naruto and the others. She wondered what he was up to from time to time, if he was still training hard, if he had gotten involved in someone''s problem. She didn''t know why, but she felt like he would do that a lot. The thought of it made her smile as she passed the time on her journey.


    Ai walked down the stairs after getting dressed where she was greeted by the inn keeper.


    "Good morning dear." The inn keeper said.


    "Good morning! Thank you for your hospitality!" Ai replied while smiling.


    "After you helped me deal with those bandits, it was the least I could do!" The old inn keeper replied while waving her hand.


    Ai smiled as she bowed toward the inn keeper and said goodbye. She then walked out of the inn and continued down the road and away from the town.


    By now she had mostly gotten over the death of her sister, she never blamed Naruto for it, because she knew he had done everything he could. She just wished that things hadn''t come to that. Luckily, she hadn''t had to worry about the curse mark she had and was able to focus more on other things. She''d met all kinds of people on her travels, she assisted a few elderly people and kids whenever she had the time as well.


    While she had never received any formal training in ninjutsu, she still knew a few techniques, so she was also able to fend for herself fairly easily against the likes of bandits that appeared from time to time. Ever since she parted ways with Naruto and the others, life had been relatively simple for her. She was no longer living under someone else''s control, and she could finally do what she wanted to do. The only problem she had, was that she didn''t know what it was that she wanted to do now.


    She had always believed that she would never be free and that she would have died back in that horrible place. But then like the breaking of the dawn, chasing the night away, Naruto appeared, and brought her out of that place. She hoped with all her heart that one day, she would meet with Naruto again, she didn''t know what the two of them would do if her wish came true. But that didn''t matter to her, after she was done with her journey of self-discovery, she would go to the hidden leaf village to find Naruto.


    She grinned to herself at the thought of surprising Naruto, the look of shock he might have followed by his bright cheerful smile when he greeted her. She clenched her fist as she continued travelling down the road.


    "UUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"


    Ai stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the woods on her right wondering what had happened. She wasn''t sure about the situation and she debated with herself about going or not for a second. There wasn''t any real need or obligation for her to go, but thinking about what Naruto would do, she dropped her bag and made her way toward the source.


    As she got closer, she began to see a river in the distance, then she noticed a man sitting down on the ground in terror with a large bear standing in front of him. With a sharp look appearing in her eyes she rushed toward the man and got in front of him, brandishing a kunai toward the bear.


    "Everything''s alright now! You''ll be safe!" Ai said with confidence toward the man behind her.


    "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!! S-s-s-save m-m-meeee!!!!!" The man cried out in terror.


    Ai glanced over toward the man. He looked like he was middle aged, he had a scruffy beard and a scar going down his chin, he wore a bamboo hat and a loose fitting hakama, his frame appeared thin and he carried a large bag on his back with an assortment of trinkets spilling out of it. Based on his appearance, she guessed that he must be some kind of traveling merchant of some kind.


    She focused on the bear in front of her as it reared up as it roared at her, then right before it attacked, a large blade cleaved through the bear straight down the middle.


    "Eh?" Ai blinked her eyes in surprise.


    Is someone here to help? She wondered. As soon as the bear fell down into two parts the figure that had done the deed appeared. It was a man with bandages wrapped around his lower face, covering his mouth, and his neck. He wore a large black cloak over a sleeveless shirt and striped patterned mimetic wrist-warmers extending up to his elbows, with matching leg-warmers around black pants.


    Behind the man appeared a smaller figure, wearing a mask upon his face donning a similar large black cloak. The two figures were none other than Momochi Zabuza and Haku.


    "Haku, why''d you ask me to save these two?" Zabuza asked.


    "Because I felt like it was something that Naruto would have done." Haku replied.


    "Heh, why should we do the what that kid would have done?" Zabuza smirked as he placed the Kubikirib¨­ch¨­ upon his shoulder after he had wrapped the blade in bandages.


    "You''re not entirely against the idea either, besides, what are we going to do to repay Naruto?" Haku asked.


    "Don''t remind me, I''m already regretting making that stupid promise to the brat." Zabuza groaned.


    "Well, you two are fine now, So, we''ll be going." Zabuza offhandedly spoke as he turned around.


    Ai had been caught off guard by the two, but as soon as they mentioned Naruto, she was shocked. These two know Naruto as well! She thought, maybe they met him recently!


    "W-Wait! You guys know Naruto, right?" Ai called out after them.


    Hearing Ai call out to the two of them like that caused the two of them to halt in their steps.


    "Zabuza, looks like she''s met Naruto as well." Haku smiled.


    Zabuza sighed. "Damn it, how the hell did we run into someone that knows that brat all the way out here?"


    The two of them turned around to face Ai.


    "Yes, we know Naruto." Haku replied to Ai''s earlier question.


    "R-really? Do¡­. Do you know what he''s been up to?" Ai asked hesitantly.


    Haku examined Ai carefully before finally answering her. "I''m afraid not, we parted ways with Naruto quite some time ago. We don''t know what he''s up to, why do you wish to know?"


    "O-oh¡­. No reason really, he helped me awhile ago¡­. So, I was just wondering what he''s been up to now¡­. I''m sorry for bothering the two of you with something so silly." Ai bowed as she apologized.


    Haku laughed gently in response to Ai''s behavior. Looks like Naruto''s got an admirer now.


    "It''s no problem, I''m sorry we couldn''t give you any new information on him." Haku replied.


    Then the two turned around once again as they started leaving.


    "U-ummm, if you don''t mind¡­ could I join you?" Ai asked.


    "Eh? Why is that?" Haku asked.


    "Well¡­. I wanted to hear about how you two met Naruto¡­" Ai replied quietly.


    Before Haku could reply, Zabuza stepped forward.


    "No." He said flatly as he turned around to leave.


    "Eh, but why?" Ai exclaimed in surprise.


    "Because I don''t want to." Zabuza replied.


    Then he and Haku left Ai and the old man who was on the ground, and took off into the woods. Ai stood there with a blank expression for a moment, as she was shocked. While she knew it was weird for her to make such a request, she still found it annoying at how she was refused. The way the tall man spoke just irritated her. Then she made up her mind and began chasing after the two as they left. Completely forgetting about her journey of self-discovery as well as leaving the old man all by himself.


    The man looked around in a daze.


    "Ummm, T-Thank you!!" He called out to empty air.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Ai chased after Zabuza and Haku as they traveled through the trees.


    "Zabuza, why''d you say that? Was there really any reason to reject her request?" Haku asked.


    "I''d just heard enough about that kid, you already convinced me to head over to check out the chunin exams in the leaf to say check up on him, I don''t need to reminisce about him as well." Zabuza explained.


    "My, if I didn''t know any better, I''d say you''re embarrassed Zabuza." Haku teased.


    "Quiet Haku, you know why, I just don''t care to drag around some love-struck brat with us." Zabuza retorted.


    "Well, it looks like she''s not willing to drop the issue that easily." Haku suddenly spoke aloud as he looked back to see Ai following after them.


    "Hoh, so she''s a shinobi?" Zabuza disinterestedly replied.


    He picked up his pace causing the distance between them and Ai to further lengthen.


    Noticing this, Ai grit her teeth as she picked up her pace as well. I''m not letting those two get away from me! She thought.


    Unfortunately for her, she found that she wouldn''t be able to keep up with the two of them. She bit her thumb and then began forming hand seals.


    Boar ¡ú Dog ¡ú Bird ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Ram


    <Summoning Jutsu>


    She summoned a large snake that she jumped onto the head of and commanded the snake to chase after Zabuza and Haku.


    Seeing this scene take place before his eyes, Haku couldn''t help but be slightly surprised. Looks like this girl isn''t your average shinobi, he thought.


    "Zabuza, looks like it won''t be that easy to lose her. Maybe it''d be best if we just let her join us. I don''t see any reason why we shouldn''t." Haku spoke.


    Zabuza sighed before stopping in his tracks, letting Ai catch up to them. Seeing that the two shinobis stopped running, caused Ai to feel fairly pleased with herself. As soon as she caught up to them, she dispersed the summoning and walked toward the two.


    "So, does this mean that you''ll let me join you guys?" Ai asked.


    Zabuza remained silent as he looked away.


    Haku smiled at Zabuza''s reaction before replying. "Yes, you can join us. We''re actually on our way to the hidden leaf, we heard that they are hosting the chunin exams there for genin. A certain blonde ninja is taking part in it as well."


    "Really?!" Ai exclaimed in pleasant surprise.


    "Could I come with you guys there? I''d like to hear about how you guys met Naruto too."


    Haku smiled. "Of course, I don''t mind telling you, but let''s keep some distance from Zabuza, he''s too shy to talk about Naruto."


    Just as Ai was about to walk toward them, she stopped. "Oh wait, I need to grab my bag, I dropped it before rushing over here. I''ll go get it!"


    Zabuza glared at Ai then at Haku for a moment before he looked away. The two waited until Ai had returned, then Zabuza turned and started walking without waiting for Ai to join them. Haku shook his head and waited for Ai to catch up with him and the two followed behind Zabuza at a distance as they each talked about how they met Naruto.


    Hearing Haku''s story, Ai was surprised to find out that at first, they were enemies against each other, but at the end of all the fighting, Naruto had convinced them to change sides while also saving them from a mysterious being that appeared out of nowhere.


    "Wow, I can''t imagine what that must have been like..." Ai spoke in amazement.


    She imagined Naruto acting in a confidant manor, being heroic and saving the day, the thought causing her to smile.


    Seeing this, Haku smiled. "What are you thinking about?"


    Ai looked up from her daze as she waved her hand and laughed. "O-oh, it''s nothing, hahah."


    "If you say so." Haku smiled in response.


    The trio made their way closer toward The Hidden Leaf, along the way, Ai learned more about Zabuza and Haku, how the two met each other, the things they''ve done. She wondered at the crazy life the two had led, and then compared it with her own life. Sure, she didn''t have a decent life before meeting Naruto, but it wasn''t as bad as Haku had described his life with Zabuza.


    Then she thought about Naruto again, I wonder what kind of life he''s led? She wondered, did he grow up in a normal life, or did he experience hardships as well. She had all kinds of questions which she wanted to ask him.


    Days passed by like this, uneventful, and soon, they had reached the gates of The Hidden Leaf. Both Zabuza and Haku had put up the hoods on their cloaks to make sure no one noticed who they were, knowing that the two of them were wanted ninjas.


    Ai felt herself bubbling over with anticipation, she wanted to see Naruto''s performance in the chunin exams. The trio were able to pass through the gates without any difficulties, and just as they were looking around, trying to figure out where to go, Ai saw a familiar face.


    "Eh, isn''t that Naruto''s sensei? What was his name again? K-Ka- " Ai started.


    "Hatake Kakashi¡­." Zabuza murmured as he gazed at the jonin.


    "That''s right! Kakashi!!" Ai called out.


    Kakashi looked over to see who was calling him and his eyes widened in surprise upon seeing who it was. More so when he saw who the voice was with.


    "¡­Zabuza¡­." Kakashi narrowed his eyes.


    He made his way toward the trio while still maintaining his guard.


    "What brings you here?" Kakashi asked warily.


    "The chunin exams¡­... We heard it was being held here, and knowing you and that brat, I figured you''d have them try it. Haku¡­ and this girl wanted to see Naruto participating in it." Zabuza answered.


    "I see¡­. Well, you guys made a wasted journey then." Kakashi sighed.


    "Eh? What do you mean?" Ai asked surprised.


    "The chunin exams have been put on hold until further notice¡­. And Naruto won''t be participating within the chunin exams this time." Kakashi answered.


    The trio stared at Kakashi in surprise.


    "B-but why?" Ai asked, worried that something had happened to Naruto.


    "It''s complicated¡­. But Naruto has left the village to train." Kakashi replied.


    Ai breathed a sigh of relief knowing that Naruto was fine, she was disappointed that she had missed him, but as long as he was fine, it was alright to her. However, Zabuza and Haku noticed there was more to the story than what Kakashi had led on to them.


    "What happened Kakashi?" Zabuza asked.


    Kakashi stared at Zabuza for a moment, he wondered if he should tell Zabuza, but then he thought about Zabuza''s promise toward Naruto back in The Land of Waves.


    "I can''t tell you here, we''ll discuss this somewhere private." Kakashi replied.


    Zabuza nodded his head, and Kakashi lead them to somewhere secluded.


    Kakashi looked over at Ai who had tagged along with them.


    "Sorry, but this is important information, could you please wait over there?" Kakashi asked.


    Ai looked disappointed, but she still nodded her head as she walked away from the group.


    "The chunin exams had been interrupted, by Orochimaru, and the thing we faced on that bridge appeared as well." Kakashi said.


    Zabuza and Haku looked at Kakashi in surprise after hearing his words.


    "I see, that does complicate matters." Zabuza replied.


    "But there''s still more to the story, you''re still holding something back."


    Kakashi however still seemed to be withholding information from them.


    "Well, the one Naruto went to train with was Lord Jiraiya The Toad Sage of The Legendary Sannin." Kakashi answered.


    Surprising both Zabuza and Haku.

 37 Chapter 37 New Mission! Team 7s temporary New Member!

    After explaining the situation to Zabuza and Haku, Kakashi asked them what their plans were.


    "Well, we were only planning on seeing the brat, but now that he''s no here, there''d be no point in us staying here." Zabuza mused.


    "What about the her?" Kakashi asked indicating toward Ai.


    "What about her? We only agreed to travel with her here, nothing beyond that." Zabuza replied.


    "Zabuza, don''t you think we should look out for her until Naruto comes back?" Haku suggested.


    "Why?" Zabuza asked.


    Haku stared at Zabuza without replying, he looked over at Ai who was watching them while fidgeting. Then he looked back at Haku and sighed.


    "Why don''t we ask the girl what she wants." Zabuza suggested.


    "Alright." Haku smiled.


    The two of them turned toward Kakashi and said farewell before turning and walking toward Ai. Kakashi stood in the same spot as he watched their exchange. Then he turned and vanished, leaving the spot.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Sakura was sitting on a bench as she watched people pass by. She looked up toward the clouds with a sad expression. She was thinking about Naruto and couldn''t help but start remembering certain things about him. She remembered the form he had the last time she saw him, she couldn''t believe her eyes.


    Naruto looked up and grinned, " I''m Uzumaki Naruto, I like Ichiraku''s ramen, I hate snakes. My dream is to become Hokage, and earn everyone''s respect and, and my hobbies include training! And eating Ichiraku ramen."


    Sakura smiled as she remembered the time Naruto introduced himself to Kakashi-sensei. Then she remembered the time he apologized to her.


    "Hey, Sakura... I''m sorry for snapping at you yesterday." Naruto sheepishly grinned as he scratched his head.


    Then there was bloody beast that Naruto had changed into, the steam rising from his mouth as he growled toward the thing they faced on the bridge. All the destruction he caused just by swinging his arm around. Sakura grabbed her arms and hugged her chest tightly. Then the scene in her mind changed again.


    Sasuke and Sakura each holding a bell while Naruto was standing with his hands behind his head grinning.


    "Looks like we win sensei!" Naruto said cheerfully.


    Sakura remembered the moment that they had defeated Kakashi-sensei during the survival training. Then she thought of the time when they first met Zabuza, and how scared she had been. But Naruto was different, he was able to keep his cool and the words he spoke really struck something within Sakura.


    "Besides, I''ll never abandon any of my comrades!" Naruto said with determination.


    Those were the words that had brought Sakura out of her fear, and made her feel that everything would be alright. Then there was the moment when Naruto appeared on the bridge.


    What was that?! Everyone stared at Zabuza''s knocked down figure.


    "Whew, made it just in time." A figure announced.


    Then she remembered the promise she had made with Naruto right before the chunin exams had started.


    "But I promise, I''ll protect you!" Naruto grinned as he gave her a thumbs up.


    Sakura was surprised by Naruto''s words, but found them comforting to hear. She nodded her head and grinned. She decided at that moment, she was going to participate in the chunin exams, and she would contribute to the team more this time.


    "It''s the other way around, this time, I''ll protect you and Sasuke, Naruto!" She said while smiling.


    Naruto looked surprised to hear her words, but grinned shortly after.


    "It''s a promise then!" He laughed.


    But once again, the image of what Naruto had become entered her mind once again. That''s not Naruto she told herself, that can''t be Naruto!!


    Then there was the time during the first test of the chunin exams as well. She had been planning on quitting in order to protect Naruto''s dream of becoming Hokage. Looking back, it was something she found pretty funny on her part.


    Naruto slammed his hand loudly onto the table, dragging everyone''s attention toward him. His sudden movement had also caused Sakura to freeze her hand in place as she stared at him from behind.


    "Don''t you dare screw with me! You think I''d be scared off just from a little threat like that? It''ll take a lot more than words to make me quit!!" Naruto declared.


    Everyone in the room stared at Naruto as he spoke with conviction.


    "It doesn''t matter how it turns out in the end, even if I do become stuck as a genin, I''ll still make my dream of becoming Hokage come true! I''ll never turn my back or run from a challenge just because it''s difficult!!"


    Naruto stood up from his seat as he stared straight at Ibiki. "You can''t scare me!"


    Then things began to get worse after that as she thought about the most recent events, and at the moment where it all started to go wrong.


    Naruto immediately stopped in his tracks as he stared in a particular direction.


    "Naruto? What''s wrong?" Sakura hesitantly asked, after seeing the serious look on Naruto''s face.


    "We need to keep moving, I''ll create another clone." Naruto answered vaguely without explaining anything to them.


    He crossed his fingers together as he usually does and created another clone. Then, one Naruto went in the direction he had stared at while the other Naruto continued on with Sasuke and Sakura.


    If I had known what was going to happen, I wouldn''t have let Naruto go like that. Sakura thought to herself, if only he had just ignored it and we continued on. Then he''d still be here with us, and we''d have finished the chunin exams by now¡­. She remembered the form Naruto had the last time she saw him; he was some kind of bloody beast with six tails and a skeleton attached to his body. No matter how much she tried, she couldn''t picture Naruto as whatever she had seen.


    Then they were forced to evacuate from the place without being able to do anything. After that, they met Kakashi-sensei, but he later left the group as well.


    Then the chunin exams had been cancelled and all the participating genin had been sent home. It wasn''t until a week later that she finally saw Kakashi-sensei again and he briefly explained that Naruto had left the village to go train somewhere else. But no matter how much she prodded and asked, Kakashi wouldn''t give her anymore details about Naruto.


    She felt terrible about the situation, she had promised to help and protect Naruto this time around, and she wasn''t able to keep that promise at all. While she kept telling herself that there wasn''t anything she could''ve done, she still felt like she had somehow failed.


    "Sakura."


    She was so frustrated with herself, if only she was stronger, she thought. Maybe she could have helped Naruto out of that situation, maybe she could have done something to prevent it from happening.


    "Sakura!"


    She placed her hands on her face as the thoughts in her head kept overwhelming her.


    "Hey, Sakura!! Snap out of it!"


    Suddenly, her wrists were grabbed by someone and her hands were pulled away from her face to reveal the person that had done so. It was none other than Sasuke.


    "Eh? Sasuke? What are you doing?" Sakura asked in confusion.


    "I should be asking you that, I kept calling your name but you wouldn''t respond." Sasuke replied.


    "Eh? Really?" Sakura uttered in disbelief.


    Sasuke nodded his head and looked at her closely.


    "Thinking about Naruto?" Sasuke suddenly asked.


    Sakura opened her eyes wide in shock before slowly nodding her head in agreement.


    "I was¡­..." Sakura mumbled.


    Sasuke was silent for a moment as he tried to figure out what to say to Sakura. However, just as he was about to open his mouth, a figure appeared.


    "Yo!" The figure greeted.


    "Kakashi-sensei!!?" The two of them exclaimed.


    "How are you two doing?" Kakashi asked as he looked at the two of them.


    Both Sasuke and Sakura looked down toward the ground.


    Kakashi sighed as he rubbed his head. "That badly huh¡­..."


    "Well, I understand you guys are still pretty upset about what''s happened, but we''ve got a mission." Kakashi suddenly spoke.


    "Eh? But we''re a member short¡­... We don''t have Naruto..." Sakura asked in surprise before getting depressed again.


    Kakashi smiled as he responded. "Well, because we''re down a member, and Team Guy isn''t on any missions right now, we will be working with one of his members for this mission."


    "Who is it?" Sasuke asked with interest.


    Kakashi stepped to the side to reveal their new temporary member. "Let''s welcome our temporary member of Team 7."


    As soon as both Sasuke and Sakura saw who it was, they grimaced.


    "THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, I WILL DO MY BEST!!!!!!!" Lee said with enthusiasm.


    The person was Rock Lee as he bowed toward the two of them, bending down at the waist as he extended his hand out for a greeting.


    Kakashi scratched the side of his cheek as he saw the expressions on both Sasuke and Sakura.


    Sakura stared at Lee as she wondered why it was him of all people that got put on their team. She slightly took a step back as she couldn''t handle Lee well.


    Lee stood up after a few moments and then he approached Sakura with burning eyes full of passion.


    "While my heart aches for your team with having Naruto gone now, do not fear, I will give my all to ensure that this mission does not fail!! I promise!!!!" Lee exclaimed as he walked closer toward Sakura.


    Sasuke and Kakashi stared at Lee while Sakura stared at the two of them for help.


    "Now, now, why don''t you all go pack for the mission, we leave in two hours." Kakashi suddenly spoke. Causing the three genin to look back at him.


    Lee saluted as he replied to Kakashi. "Yes!!!"


    The other two only nodded and they all separated as they all began preparing for the mission.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    While walking back, Sakura thought about Naruto again, she thought about how excited he''d be to be getting another mission. She smiled at the thought but quickly frowned as the thought only reminded her of how Naruto wasn''t here anymore. Before joining team 7, she wouldn''t have cared at all about Naruto. He had always been the class clown, goofing off or pulling pranks. But now, after getting to know him, Sakura found herself truly caring about Naruto, he''d listen to her worries and help her feel better. He also had a way of making others believe in the impossible, no matter how bad things seemed to get, having Naruto around had made her feel like things would be alright.


    That''s right! She thought, Naruto wouldn''t let something like this get him down, so I shouldn''t either, I''ll focus on the mission and get stronger. Sakura clenched her fists together tightly as she hurried home to prepare for the mission.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    After two hours everyone had arrived at the main gates and were waiting for Kakashi to arrive. Once he arrived, they all set out.


    "Hey, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura called out.


    "Hm?" Kakashi replied.


    "What''s the mission?" Sakura asked.


    "It''s a mission to take care of some bandits along the border between the Land of Fire, and the Land of Wind." Kakashi answered.


    Sakura nodded her head after hearing Kakashi.


    "Oh right, because these bandits are attacking villages on both sides of the border, the Hidden Sand Village will be dispatching a team to coordinate with us to eliminate the bandits." Kakashi suddenly spoke.


    "Eh? The Sand Village?" Sakura said in surprise.


    Then she remembered the Sand genin that she had met with Naruto, they didn''t seem like good people, and the short red-haired kid seemed especially scary to her. She shivered at the thought and silently hoped that the team helping them wasn''t that team.


    There''s no way that would happen, right? She wondered in thought.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Gaara, your team will be dispatched to coordinate with the leaf''s ninja in order to eliminate these bandits." The Kazekage spoke.


    "I understand." Gaara replied before turning around and leaving.


    The Kazekage stared silently at Gaara as he left the room. Why haven''t I heard word from Orochimaru? He wondered, because of what happened during the chunin exams, the invasion plan had been called off. Orochimaru had sent a brief message before ceasing all communication. The message was; Don''t act. While it was cryptic, the meaning was clear, they would not move forward with the invasion plan. However, despite the change in plans, the Hidden Leaf had never been aware of the invasion plan to begin with, so there weren''t any issues because of it. But not hearing anything from Orochimaru created a large headache for The Kazekage.

 38 Chapter 38 Journey to the Border!

    Naruto was sitting cross-legged on a rock with a waterfall behind him. He had his hands curled and his knuckles touching together placed within his lap while his eyes were closed. He''d been training at Mount My¨­boku for a month now, and he''d been training in sage mode, sage arts and his frog kumite taijutsu with Jiraiya and Lord Fukasaku.


    At first, Jiraiya had told Naruto to wait a few years before attempting. But when Naruto jumped into the toad oil and began gathering nature energy without transforming into a toad, Jiraiya was forced to concede to Naruto''s request.


    When Naruto had first arrived, Jiraiya had introduced him to Lord Fukasaku and Shima. Though he already knew them from his memories of his original timeline. The two toads had warmly welcomed Naruto and he was able to get used to living on Mount My¨­boku with them and Jiraiya. However, Jiraiya would from time to time go out to either conduct his "research" or to continue his investigations on Orochimaru''s whereabouts.


    Naruto had also started getting used to having Hateshi residing within his mind now as well. Once a week, Naruto would let him take control and explore the area around them. In return, Hateshi would teach Naruto whatever he wanted to learn from him. The first thing Naruto asked him to teach was of course the seal to deal with The Constructs whenever they appeared. Having Hateshi around also provided Naruto with more opportunity to get an explanation from him about the nature of Constructs and how they worked.


    "So, if the whole point of The Constructs is to correct the flow of time, why did the first one try to kill me?" Naruto asked.


    "You''re asking because you know that your existence is vital to the correct history." Hateshi replied.


    Naruto scratched his head. "Well, the fourth great ninja war was fought because of me and the jinch¨±rikis like me."


    "True, if the tailed beasts had never existed in the first place, the war wouldn''t have taken place." Hateshi replied.


    "So¡­ if my existence is necessary to the war, then killing me would only make the situation worse in correcting history¡­. Right?" Naruto asked as he tried to wrap his head around the matter.


    "Well, there''s a reason for that, because you''re an anomaly, the world can''t just leave you alone, you could just alter history over and over." Hateshi began explaining.


    "So, that''s why The Constructs are sent down, to eliminate the anomaly and to correct the flow once again. But in your case, The Constructs job wouldn''t stop at just eliminating you."


    "What do you mean?" Naruto asked.


    "Did you ever wonder why there were no defining features on The Constructs you faced?" Hateshi questioned back.


    Naruto thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I was too busy worrying about the situation itself than anything else." Naruto rubbed his nose in embarrassment.


    Naruto stared at Hateshi in shock as he thought about what Hateshi had just told him.


    "Then¡­ what about everyone else?" Naruto asked.


    "Unless it deemed it necessary, it would just erase everyone''s mind involved in its appearance, and replace the event with the correct history. No one would know the difference." Hateshi replied.


    "Then what would you have done?" Naruto asked.


    "Hahah, that''s a simple question, I would just start over." Hateshi smiled.


    Naruto shivered unconsciously as he took in Hateshi''s words. Just like he told him before, Naruto was reminded once again that Hateshi really didn''t care about human life.


    "But what about now?" Naruto asked as he thought of something.


    "You mean now that I''ve sealed myself within you until I acquire a body of my own?" Hateshi questioned.


    "Yeah, if The Construct were to succeed, what becomes of you?" Naruto questioned.


    "Well, I suppose I would cease to exist, just as you would." Hateshi smiled.


    "But how can you be so calm about it?" Naruto wondered.


    "It''s a what if question, it hasn''t happened, and if it does, then it''s already too late to do anything. So why should I concern myself with such thoughts?" Hateshi asked.


    Naruto looked down and mulled over Hateshi''s words. "I guess you have a point there¡­..." Naruto replied.


    "Of course, now focus on your training, you need to get as strong as possible as quickly as you can." Hateshi berated.


    Naruto nodded and closed his eyes within the mindscape that Hateshi resided within. When he opened his eyes once again, he was still sitting on the rock he had found earlier.


    "Ooooiii!! Naruto!!!"


    Naruto looked over and saw Jiraiya calling out to him as he walked toward him. Naruto jumped up and ran over to where Jiraiya was.


    "Hey Pervy-sage! Do you have a new jutsu to teach me?" Naruto asked as he grinned.


    Jiraiya smiled as he ruffled Naruto''s hair. "I don''t right now, but I was thinking about taking you out to get some fresh air."


    Naruto looked up with wide eyes. "Really? Can we get some ramen?!"


    "Haha, sure, I''ve got to make a trip somewhere and I thought it''d be good to take you with me." Jiraiya grinned.


    "Yes!!! No more toad food!!!" Naruto cried out in joy.


    Jiraiya scratched the side of his head as he watched Naruto pump his fists in the air. He must really hate Shima''s cooking¡­. He thought to himself.


    "Hey, hey, when are we leaving?!" Naruto asked.


    "Haha, I need to go speak with Lord Fukasaku for a moment, you go pack up your things, then we''ll be on our way." Jiraiya grinned.


    Naruto nodded and the two of them walked back to Shima''s and Fukasaku''s house.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Once the two of them had explained the situation to Lord Fukasaku and Shima, they had gathered their things and set off. Jiraiya placed his hands together and then the two of them were transported off Mount My¨­boku. The two then began walking down the path as they started traveling toward their destination.


    "Hey, Pervy-sage! Where are we going?" Naruto asked.


    "Heh, we''re going to a small town on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind." Jiraiya grinned.


    Naruto nodded his head before asking. "Why''s that? What''s there?"


    "Hahah, don''t worry Naruto, you''ll find out once we get there!" Jiraiya laughed.


    Naruto shook his head and sighed, this is probably to further his research for his novels, Naruto thought to himself. Oh well, I''ve learned to expect this kind of behavior from him, Naruto smiled inwardly.


    "What are you grinning about?" Jiraiya asked.


    "Nothing!" Naruto replied while smiling.


    Jiraiya grinned as he watched Naruto speed up slightly so that he was walking in front.


    He has his moments of being mature, but in the end, he''s still just a kid. Jiraiya thought to himself. I''m glad he hasn''t taken the incident during the chunin exams too personally. Jiraiya breathed a slight sigh of relief as he had been concerned that Naruto might be upset about having to leave the village.


    But seeing Naruto as his usual self was greatly relieving for Jiraiya.


    "Naruto, how''s your sage training going?" Jiraiya asked.


    Naruto turned around and started walking backwards. "It''s going well, I can maintain sage mode for about thirty minutes now."


    Jiraiya stared at Naruto like he was some kind of monster for a moment. Thirty minutes? He thought, just what kind of talent does this kid have when it comes to senjutsu? He couldn''t help but feel like life wasn''t fair sometimes since he wasn''t able to master sage mode perfectly. But Naruto had been able to absorb natural chakra without causing his body to create any frog like features except for his eyes changing.


    But on the other hand, Jiraiya couldn''t be any prouder of Naruto. His own student finding success was something that brought him a lot of joy. He also wanted to see Naruto become stronger as quickly as possible.


    The two of them continued traveling toward their destination. Once night arrived, they set up a small camp in order to rest for the night. Jiraiya had set up a fire and was keeping watch while Naruto slept. However, Naruto wasn''t really sleeping, instead, he had entered his mindscape once again.


    "What is it Naruto?" Hateshi asked.


    Naruto was quiet for a moment before responding. "When will I be ready to face off against Kurama?"


    "Getting impatient?" Hateshi replied.


    "No! It''s just¡­. I can''t let what happened before happen again." Naruto explained.


    "I understand Naruto, however, there''s no need to rush. Continue training your sage mode and strengthening your body, speaking of training your body, I think it''s time you learned the rest of the eight inner gates technique." Hateshi spoke.


    "Eh? But it hasn''t really been that useful to me ever since I learned how to open the first gate from Kakashi-sensei." Naruto replied.


    Hateshi sighed. "That''s because you''ve been doing it all wrong."


    "What do you mean?" Naruto asked.


    "The first gate is meant to prepare your body for opening the rest of the gates, you''ve only been using it as a means to push your body harder in a fight." Hateshi answered.


    "You are literally tiring yourself out on purpose by using the technique like that." Hateshi continued.


    Naruto felt slightly embarrassed as he thought back to the times when he used it. He scratched his head as he smiled sheepishly.


    "I guess that''s true, huh..." Naruto replied.


    "Of course it is, I have no idea why you''ve been using it that way, but since I''m here now, I can guide you through the process properly now." Hateshi finished.


    "Really? That''s awesome!" Naruto said as he got excited.


    "Hold on, I''m not going to train you right now, I''ve got better things to do, just go to sleep and keep up your training." Hateshi said, dashing away Naruto''s excitement.


    Naruto looked down in disappointment but nodded his head and sighed. Then he closed his eyes and left the mindscape, and went to sleep.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Once dawn arrived, Jiraiya and Naruto got up and took down the small camp they made before continuing on their journey. As they travelled, they would stop by several inns and other establishments so that Jiraiya could perform his research. While waiting for Jiraiya to finish doing his research, Naruto would keep up on his training, working on making the time he could stay within sage mode last longer. He would also practice the eight inner gates by following Hateshi''s guidance.


    Soon, the two of them finally reached their destination.


    "Looks like we''ve finally arrived." Jiraiya said as he gazed at the small town.


    "Yup, are you finally going to tell me what''s here?" Naruto asked.


    "Haha, that''s a surprise for you to find out. But I''m sure you''ll like it." Jiraiya laughed.


    Naruto rolled his eyes in response. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Pervy-sage!"


    The two then began walking into the town, but as they did, they felt something was off.


    "Strange, there''s no one here¡­..." Naruto commented.


    "Indeed... Keep your guard up Naruto!" Jiraiya cautioned.


    The two brought their guards up and stretched out their senses as they prepared themselves for any kind of situation.


    Suddenly an arrow landed between their feet.


    "GYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!"


    "Get ready boys!! We''ve got ourselves some company!!!!" A figure shouted.


    Both Naruto and Jiraiya narrowed their eyes as they gazed at the figure that made their appearance before them.


    Looks like it''s bandits¡­. Naruto thought as he gazed at the figure.


    "Drop all of your belongings in front of you. Do so, and we might spare your lives!!! GYAHAHAHAHAHAH" The figure laughed.

 39 Chapter 39 Reunion!

    Staring at the bandit that was standing on top of the roof of one of the nearby buildings, Naruto couldn''t decide whether to laugh or cry. He had been looking forward to a relaxing adventure without getting into any kind of troubles while spending time with Jiraiya. After everything that''s happened, he felt like he deserved a break.


    Naruto sighed as he looked at Jiraiya. "Did you know there were bandits here?"


    Jiraiya chuckled as he replied. "I heard about them, and I figured it''d be a good way to test your progress."


    Naruto stared at Jiraiya. "Eh? You planned this?!!!"


    "Hahaha, is it really that big a deal?" Jiraiya asked.


    Naruto grumbled as he took a few steps forward.


    "Oh, and you can only use frog kumite while fighting, and make sure you hold back your strength so you don''t kill them." Jiraiya called out to Naruto.


    "Alright, let''s get this over with then!" Naruto said as he sat down. He crossed his fingers and created a single clone in front of him.


    The bandits stared at the duo and were slightly surprised when the blonde kid had created a clone.


    "Hey boss, it looks like they''re shinobis, should we really bother them???" One of the bandits whispered.


    "Shut it!! There''s only two of em!! We can handle em!!" The boss berated.


    "Le''s Get em boys!!" The boss shouted.


    "UWOOOOAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" The horde of bandits shouted as they started charging toward Naruto and Jiraiya.


    Naruto closed his eyes and began gathering the nature chakra as his clone rushed forward and started taking out the bandits one by one.


    Jiraiya watched the fight unfold before his eyes with interest. Minato would have no problems dealing with these kinds of thugs even outside of sage mode. But this is a good test to see how much control Naruto has on his strength in this state.


    Naruto''s clone continued to dodge each hit while throwing counters to each bandit that got close. He ducked down threw a left cross toward the bandit''s gut that had slashed at his head. Then he brought his leg up and spun, performing a round house kick on another bandit''s head, launching him into the side of another bandit.


    "GAH!"


    "UHG!"


    "OOF!"


    One by one the bandits were knocked unconscious until Naruto finally opened his eyes and revealed the toad slits within them. Orange markings appeared around his eyes as well as he stood up and dispersed his clone. Then he grinned and rushed toward the confused bandits. Two bandits rushed toward Naruto and they swung their curved blades toward Naruto''s head and legs. Naruto leaned forward and jumped up, going into the space between the two blades, then he rotated his body and kicked both bandits in the ribs. Landing onto the ground Naruto crouched down and continued rushing forward as he weaved his way through the crowd of bandits toward the one in charge.


    "STOP THAT BRAT!!!" The boss commanded the other bandits.


    The rest of the bandits yelled as they rushed Naruto with even more vigor than before, trying to cut him down. Naruto stopped in his tracks, then he grabbed the nearest bandit.


    "Eh?" The bandit blinked his eyes as soon as Naruto grabbed hold of him.


    Naruto lifted the bandit up and began swinging him around his body, knocking away all of the bandits around him. Then he tossed the bandit toward the boss bandit that was running away.


    "boooooOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSS!!!!" The bandit screamed as he soared through the air toward him.


    The boss bandit turned his head and saw the bandit flying toward him.


    "UWAAAAAGHHHHH!!" The boss bandit screamed as he got hit and slammed into the ground.


    Naruto rubbed his hands together as if wiping the dust off of them.


    "Well, that takes care of that." He said cheerfully.


    "Did I pass your test Pervy-sage?!" Naruto called back amidst the groans of pain coming from the bandits around him.


    Jiraiya chuckled as he couldn''t help but see Minato overlap with Naruto. Taking on ridiculous amounts of opponents with ease and wearing that ridiculous grin. Naruto really was Minato''s son, Jiraiya thought to himself. He then clapped his hands together.


    "You pass! Naruto!" Jiraiya grinned.


    Suddenly Naruto looked at Jiraiya with a weird expression.


    "Hey, Pervy-sage, weren''t we supposed to be taking a break from training?" Naruto asked.


    "Eh? Well, you know how it is¡­..." Jiraiya looked away.


    "How what is?" Naruto asked narrowing his eyes.


    "Well I mean, the bandits had to be dealt with after all, there was no way we could just leave them be¡­..." Jiraiya replied while sweat formed on his forehead.


    "But why did it have to be me? Why couldn''t you handle it, you are the sensei¡­... right?" Naruto retorted.


    "Well, it was a spur of the moment, I had been wanting to see your progress and then the bandits just happened to present themselves¡­... So, I seized the moment!! AHAHAHAHAH" Jiraiya suddenly laughed.


    Naruto sighed as he shook his head. "Right.... "


    Then Naruto grinned. Causing Jiraiya to feel a chill down his spine. "I wonder what Lord Fukasaku and Shima would say if they heard about this." Naruto said.


    "Eh? Hey, wait... Naruto... you wouldn''t." Jiraiya called out.


    "Who knows, it might slip out that even though Pervy-sage promised to only take me out to get some fresh air, he forced me to fight bandits." Naruto said as he placed his hands behind his head.


    "I''m sure Shima would be very upset with your way of raising children." Naruto grinned.


    Jiraiya gulped as he looked at Naruto, then he brought his hand up and coughed to clear his throat.


    "What do you want so that it doesn''t slip out?" Jiraiya asked.


    "You treat me to some all you can eat ramen at Ichiraku''s!!" Naruto replied instantly.


    Jiraiya sighed as he hung his head low. "Alright..."


    Naruto grinned and laughed while Jiraiya silently said farewell to his savings through bitter tears.


    Naruto suddenly turned around and stared at a particular direction. Noticing this, Jiraiya walked toward him with concern.


    "What is it?" Jiraiya asked.


    Naruto faintly smiled to himself before responding. "It''s Kakashi-sensei and the others¡­..."


    After hearing Naruto''s words, Jiraiya paused for a second before speaking again. "Do you want to see them? We can always go somewhere else."


    While he did have Naruto fight the bandits, there was no worry about Naruto''s safety in his mind. He had just wanted to give Naruto a chance to enjoy a break from everything, and he also knew that they forced Naruto to leave the village on a sore note. So he was afraid Naruto might have mixed feelings about seeing anyone from the village.


    Naruto shook his head as he replied. "It''s fine, actually I''m glad they''re here, I never had time to say anything to Sasuke and Sakura."


    "In that case, we''ll just wait for them here." Jiraiya smiled. He was glad that Naruto didn''t seem to be upset about what had happened.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura and Lee were within sight of the town where the bandits were. It had taken them three days after setting out from the Hidden Leaf.


    "Finally! My feet are killing me!!" Sakura complained.


    Kakashi smiled slightly as he heard Sakura''s words. Sasuke ignored her while Lee on the other hand moved right next to Sakura.


    "Sakura!! If your feet are hurting, why don''t I carry you the rest of the way!" Lee offered as he placed his bag in front of his chest and offered to carry Sakura on his back.


    Sakura stared at Lee for a second in surprise before waving her hand.


    "No way in hell!" Sakura flat out refused.


    Lee looked at Sakura as if he''d been stabbed in the heart.


    "Oh... Okay¡­." Lee sulked as he dragged his feet while following the group.


    "Now, now, Sakura, Lee was only trying to be nice, there''s no need to be so harsh with him." Kakashi tried to salvage the situation.


    "It''s alright Kakashi-sensei!! I won''t let this get me down, if I can walk the rest of the way on my hands, then one day, Sakura will surely accept me!!" Lee shouted out with fire in his eyes.


    "¡­...Right..." Kakashi replied as he watched Lee jump onto his hands and start rushing toward the town with vigor.


    Both Sasuke and Sakura stared at Lee who was now upside down in front of them. Why did he join our team of all people? They wondered.


    "Well, we''ll take a day or two to figure out the situation of the town, then we''ll take care of the bandits. Besides, we need to meet up with the sand shinobi in order to formulate a plan of action." Kakashi informed the other two.


    Then the trio caught up with Lee and together, they walked into the town. However, they noticed that there was some kind of commotion happening.


    "Is there some kind of festival happening?" Sakura asked.


    "I don''t know, why don''t we find out?" Kakashi replied.


    "Everyone seems to be gathering over there!" Lee pointed out.


    "Then that''s where we''ll go." Kakashi said.


    The group made their way toward the crowd and saw an old man in the back.


    "Excuse me sir!" Sakura called out.


    "Uwah! I''m sorry, you frightened me for a second." The old man laughed.


    "I''m sorry, but what''s going on?" Sakura asked.


    "You must be travelers, well you came at the right time, two people just came and wiped out the group of bandits that were staying in this town!" The old man explained excitedly.


    "Eh?" The group exclaimed.


    "It was incredible, and it took only one of them to take them all out, he did it single handedly too despite only being a young boy!" The old man continued on.


    Kakashi walked over to the old man and placed his hand on Sakura''s shoulder.


    "Excuse me, could you tell me more about these two?" Kakashi asked.


    "I''m afraid I don''t know much about the two, they just came in themselves, but there right over there, so you can go see them!" The old man replied.


    Kakashi glanced over and sure enough, the crowd only went so far and they had left a large space in the center. Then he faced the old man once again.


    "Thank you very much, we''ll be going now." Kakashi bowed his head.


    "No problem, why don''t you stay at my inn if you''re staying in!" The old man replied.


    "You''re too kind, thank you." Kakashi smiled as he waved goodbye to the old man.


    "Now then, let''s go take a look at the mysterious saviors of this town." Kakashi suggested.


    The trio nodded in agreement and they all made their way toward the center of the crowd. As they got closer, they could hear two people laughing among the crowd. Soon, they saw the unconscious bodies of the bandits that were tied up and piled together. Then as they shifted their eyes, they all looked on in surprise upon seeing who it was.


    "Eh?!" They all exclaimed in shock.


    "N-Naruto?!" Sakura whispered in shock.


    "UUUUWWWOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! NARUTOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Lee suddenly shouted as he rushed toward Naruto while still on his hands.


    Hearing the sudden shout, Naruto glanced over.


    "Geh!?!" Naruto exclaimed as he saw Lee rushing toward him on his hands while tears and snot streamed down his face.


    Lee bent his arms and then pushed off, launching him toward Naruto. Lee was sailing through the air with his arms outstretched in an attempt at hugging Naruto. Tears and snot trailed behind him as he shouted toward Naruto.


    Naruto quickly dodged and Lee flew past him and tumbled onto the ground.


    Kakashi scratched the side of his cheek at Lee''s sudden behavior. While Sasuke was in a shocked stupor from suddenly seeing Naruto, but after witnessing Lee''s actions, Sasuke snapped out of it and regained his composure.


    "Yo!" Naruto waved toward them while grinning.


    Lee jumped up and ran straight up to Naruto while the rest took their time to walk toward him.


    "Narutooo!!!! You''re alright!! I''m so glad!!" Lee bawled his eyes out as he took hold of Naruto''s hand.


    "Y-yeah!" Naruto agreed as Lee''s over the top personality overwhelmed him.


    Soon Kakashi and the others had surrounded Naruto as well.


    "It seems that you''re doing well, Naruto." Kakashi smiled.


    "Yeah, training with the toads has been great! I''m a lot stronger now!" Naruto agreed as he made a fist.


    "But I can still get stronger!"


    Lee stared at Naruto with fire in his eyes, while nodding his head in agreement.


    Kakashi placed his hand on Naruto''s head and ruffled his hair upon hearing his words. "That''s great, Naruto."


    Naruto grinned in response.


    Suddenly, he glanced over and saw Sakura.


    "Hey, Sakur-" Naruto began.


    Sakura suddenly lunged forward and pulled Naruto into a hug.


    "You IDIOT!!" She cried.


    Naruto stared at Sakura in surprise.


    "I told you that I''d be the one to protect you during the chunin exams and then you went off like that!!!" She berated.


    Naruto smiled softly toward Sakura and then hugged her back. Then he pulled away and looked at her, seeing tears streaming down her face.


    "I''m sorry for making you worry Sakura." Naruto said softly.


    "But I''m fine now, and I''m stronger than ever!" Naruto grinned.


    More tears streamed out of Sakura''s eyes as she hugged Naruto again. Seeing this, Kakashi smiled as well, he knew how much distress Sakura was under because of what had happened. Sasuke stared at Naruto with a weird expression on his face. Kakashi noticed this expression and couldn''t help but feel worried, he knew how Sasuke thought of Naruto as his rival, and suddenly losing that rival must have been a huge blow to Sasuke as well.


    After Sakura finally calmed down, she released Naruto from the hug and then got embarrassed upon seeing the tear stain on Naruto''s clothes.


    "I''m glad to see you guys again, but what are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked.


    "We''re currently on a mission to deal with some bandits in this town." Kakashi answered.


    "Oh, do you mean these bandits?" Naruto asked as he pointed toward the pile of unconscious bandits.


    "It would seem to be the case, but we''d better find out more about them to make sure you guys didn''t miss any." Kakashi replied.


    "But what are you and Lord Jiraiya doing here?" Kakashi asked.


    "I don''t know, I''m still wondering why Pervy-sage brought us here as well" Naruto answered.


    Then the group looked over at Jiraiya who was currently surrounded by gorgeous women laughing like an idiot with a perverted grin on his face. Seeing this caused Naruto to sigh in exasperation as he had seen this happen time and time again.


    "Looks like he''s gathering information," Kakashi said as he watched the scene before him.


    Naruto squinted his eyes at Kakashi because he couldn''t believe what Kakashi was saying, but quickly remembered he was a fan of Jiraiya''s novels. Causing him to sigh and shake his head.


    Suddenly, they heard the shuffling of feet behind them, causing them to turn their heads. The crowd had dispersed making way for a group of four people walking toward them.


    Gaara¡­. Naruto thought as he saw the familiar figures appear.


    "Looks like the members of the sand for our joint operation have arrived as well." Kakashi said.


    Sakura stared at Gaara and the other two genin that she remembered from before and shivered. Why is it those three? She wondered as she cursed her own luck.


    Sasuke stared at the sand shinobi with interest, especially toward Gaara, he could tell that he was stronger than he seemed to appear. I would have liked to fight against him if the chunin exams hadn''t been canceled, Sasuke thought.


    Soon, Gaara and the others arrived to where Naruto, Kakashi and the rest were.


    "My name is Gaara, we''re here on the orders of the Kazekage to assist you in the mission." Gaara spoke.

 40 Chapter 40 Rising Tension!

    Gaara¡­... Naruto thought as he stared at the familiar figure. Gaara has helped with saving his life during the final battle between the allied shinobi forces against Madara. However, he reminded himself that this Gaara wasn''t the same as the one he knew, he still hadn''t changed yet. But now, Naruto was presented with an opportunity to change Gaara once again.


    But, he was also aware of the danger Gaara posed toward everyone in his current state. So, he had to keep his guard up around this Gaara until he could work out a way of changing him. Which Naruto wanted to do without fighting this time around if he could help it.


    Gaara stared silently at the group in front of him, he recognized one of them, the blonde-haired kid that had humiliated Kankuro when they had first arrived at the Leaf Village. Then he glanced over at the pile of unconscious bandits.


    "Uzumaki Naruto..." Gaara called out.


    Naruto looked up inquisitively toward Gaara after hearing him call his name. I wonder what he wants, Naruto thought.


    "Is this your doing?" Gaara asked as he pointed toward the bandits.


    Naruto glanced over and slowly nodded his head.


    "Yeah, why?" Naruto asked.


    "You didn''t finish the job." Gaara replied as he stared emotionlessly at Naruto.


    "Eh?!" Naruto uttered before his eyes widened.


    He turned on his his heel just in time to see sand surrounding all of the bandits and then enclose them inside before crushing them to bits. Blood sprayed out and oozed out into a puddle around the sand. All of the surrounding people were shocked and quickly ran away in order to not get in Gaara''s way. While Sasuke, Lee, Sakura, and Kakashi stared in shock at Gaara. Kankuro, Temari, and Baki were already used to Gaara''s behavior so their expressions never changed.


    Naruto clenched his fists tightly as he looked back toward Gaara.


    "What was that for?!" Sakura shouted, while trying to restrain the fear that had bubbled up within her.


    "The mission is to eliminate the bandits in the town. I only followed what was stated." Gaara replied.


    Just as Sakura was about to retort, Naruto stuck his arm out in front of her.


    "From what I hear, you''re supposed to be cooperating with each other." Naruto said.


    Gaara frowned slightly at Naruto''s words.


    "If that is the case, then you should stop releasing so much killing intent toward my friends." Naruto continued.


    The two stared at each other in silence before the sand Gaara had released returned back into his gourd.


    "When you''ve decided on your next move, find us over there." Gaara said as he pointed toward the inn nearby.


    Naruto nodded his head as he watched Gaara and the others walk away. Kakashi walked up and placed his hand onto Naruto''s shoulder.


    Naruto shook his head before revealing a grin. "No, I''m just glad to see you all again."


    Kakashi''s eyes widened in surprise before he smiled. "I''m glad to see you again as well Naruto."


    Jiraiya walked over with a serious expression. "Looks like your mission just became a lot more complicated than before."


    Kakashi sighed as he placed his hand on his head. "Yeah, this is really turning into a headache for me."


    Jiraiya chuckled as he clapped Kakashi on the back. "Don''t worry, we''ll help you guys out on your mission."


    "Eh? But that really isn''t necessary." Kakashi tried to refuse.


    "Nonsense, I''m sure my pupil would agree as well!!" Jiraiya laughed.


    Then he glanced over at Naruto who had his eyes narrowed as he watched him.


    "Hey, Pervy-sage, what happened to taking a break?" Naruto asked.


    Jiraiya then stopped mid laugh upon hearing Naruto''s words.


    Naruto sighed as he shook his head. "But he''s right, there''s no way, I''d let you guys do this mission with those guys around."


    Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief as he wiped his forehead.


    "See?! What''d I tell you? We''re more than happy to help out!!" Jiraiya laughed.


    Kakashi looked at Jiraiya and Naruto gratefully as he bowed toward Jiraiya.


    "Thank you Lord Jiraiya." Kakashi expressed.


    Naruto glanced over toward Sasuke who was looking at him. I wonder what Sasuke is thinking right now, Naruto wondered. Then he glanced over toward the dead bandits.


    "Well, looks like we won''t be able to get any information from the bandits now." Naruto pointed out.


    The others glanced over toward the bodies after hearing Naruto''s words. Sakura felt sick to her stomach at the sight of the mangled corpses of the bandits. The others wore serious expressions as they took in the situation. Looks like the situation just became a lot more complicated, Kakashi sighed inwardly.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    After entering the inn, the sand shinobi walked upstairs and entered their room.


    "Gaara, remember that we must follow the Kazekage''s orders." Baki reminded.


    "I know what must be done without you telling me, Baki." Gaara responded as he glared at Baki.


    Baki took a step back unconsciously in fear as he gazed back at Gaara.


    "Hey, hey, calm down Gaara, there''s no need to get hostile." Kankuro stepped forward, trying to mend the situation.


    Gaara glared toward Kankuro at that moment and sand began seeping out of the gourd on Gaara''s back.


    "Hey, Gaara, what are you doing? I''m your brother!" Kankuro said as he began to panic.


    "Brother? I have no such thing." Gaara replied as he slowly lifted his hand up into the air.


    "Gaara! Stop!" Temari shouted.


    Gaara glared at Temari then, and took a step forward toward her, causing her to take a step back in fear. Then Gaara stopped and lowered his hand.


    "Don''t bother me until we''re starting the mission." Gaara said as he turned and left.


    The three sand shinobis all breathed a sigh of relief as Gaara left.


    "Looks like we managed to resolve the situation for now." Kankuro sighed.


    "Gaara''s always been quick to kill, but he seems more agitated than usual, is it because of the Leaf shinobi?" Temari said aloud.


    "It could be¡­..." Baki agreed.


    "What should we do?" Kankuro asked.


    "Well, because of Orochimaru, the operation was stopped before we begun¡­... however, it might be in our best interest if we eliminate the leaf shinobi here, and place the blame on the bandits." Baki suggested.


    "Eh? Would their Hokage really believe that?" Temari asked.


    "If he doesn''t want to start a war, he has to." Baki replied.


    Temari and Kankuro looked down in thought.


    "What should we do?" Kankuro asked.


    "Tonight, we make our move..." Baki began instructing.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    After taking care of the bodies, Naruto and the others went to the inn to rest for the night.


    "Kakashi, I need to speak with you." Jiraiya said as the group walked inside.


    Kakashi nodded and the two left, leaving Naruto and the others to get the keys to their rooms. Sasuke has been quiet the entire time, Sakura thought, which caused her to worry about him.


    "Sasuke, are you alright?" Sakura asked.


    "Yeah, I''m fine, I just have something I need to talk to Naruto about." Sasuke said as he looked up at Sakura.


    She nodded her head, and felt relieved that it didn''t seem to be anything serious bothering Sasuke. Then she watched as Sasuke walked up to Naruto.


    "Naruto." Sasuke called out.


    Looking over, Naruto saw Sasuke with a serious expression.


    "Hey Sasuke, is something wrong?" Naruto asked.


    Sasuke looked down as he clenched his fists together tightly. Then he looked back up at Naruto.


    "We need to talk, but let''s go somewhere else." Sasuke said.


    Confused, Naruto still nodded his head. "Okay."


    The two left the inn and began walking toward the forest that was nearby.


    Sakura watched the two leave, she didn''t know why, but she felt that something bad would happen. She lightly slapped her cheeks together and forced herself to calm down. Don''t worry, those two are just going to talk about something in private, I''m just overthinking things, Sakura told herself. Then she glanced over and saw Lee.


    "Looks like it''s just the two of us who will get the rooms. Lee." Sakura said.


    Lee nodded his head and smiled. "It seems that way, by the way Sakura, do you know what Sasuke is going to talk to Naruto about?"


    Sakura shook her head as she replied. "I don''t, but it seems to be a matter that''s private, so we shouldn''t bother them."


    Lee looked down in thought. "Okay, but I can''t help but be concerned, especially since I saw the expression on Sasuke''s face."


    "Eh?? What do you mean?" Sakura asked.


    "It''s a look of determination, and it''s one I''m very familiar with." Lee replied.


    "Maybe it''s just a very important conversation he wants to have." Sakura suggested.


    "No, it''s the look of someone who is going to challenge someone to a fight, I have that same expression whenever I want to challenge Neji." Lee said as he shook his head in disagreement.


    "Well, Sasuke has always been trying to beat Naruto, what''s wrong with some light sparring?" Sakura asked.


    "Sakura, the look Sasuke had didn''t seem like that of one who wanted to do some light sparring." Lee answered with a serious expression.


    Sakura looked down in thought as the worry she had before resurfaced. Seeing her expression, Lee [ quickly changed] the subject.


    "Ah, but maybe I''m mistaken, I''m sure there''s no need for you to worry about anything, I''m sorry for making you worry about nothing!!!" Lee quickly apologized.


    Sakura smiled a little toward Lee. "Thank you, Lee, I''m sure you''re right and there''s nothing to worry about. I''m sorry for giving you a hard time before, you''re actually really nice Lee."


    Lee blushed as he scratched the back of his head. "Oh, Hehehe, I didn''t really do anything though."


    Sakura smiled, but then she heard footsteps behind her, turning, she saw that it was Kakashi.


    "Where''s Lord Jiraiya?" Sakura asked.


    "He had business he needed to attend to, so he''s leaving Naruto with us for now. By the way, where are Naruto and Sasuke?" Kakashi asked.


    "Oh, those two left to go talk about something." Sakura answered.


    "I see¡­..." Kakashi replied as he went into thought.


    I hope nothing bad happens to those two, Kakashi thought. Suddenly, Kakashi looked up before rushing toward Sakura and Lee, grabbing the two of them and jumping out of the building before it exploded.


    "Eh? What''s going on?!" Sakura said after seeing the inn explode into pieces.


    "As expected of Kakashi of the Hidden Leaf." A voice said.


    Kakashi narrowed his eye as he lowered Lee and Sakura to the ground.


    "You two, get out of here, and be on your guard." Kakashi instructed as he lifted his forehead protector covering his eye.


    "Eh? What''s going on Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.


    "It seems that the sand team sent to aid us in this mission are intent on getting rid of us." Kakashi replied.


    "Eh?" Sakura said in confusion as she glanced over to see Baki and Gaara.


    Where are the other two? Sakura wondered before her eyes widened in realization as she thought of Sasuke and Naruto.


    "Sakura, calm down, I''m sure Naruto and Sasuke will be able to handle the two that are not here, for now, I need you and Lee to focus on the red-haired kid while I will handle the jonin on the team." Kakashi instructed.


    Sakura nodded her head as she focused on Gaara. Lee also nodded as he walked up beside Sakura and took a fighting stance.


    "Don''t worry Sakura, I''ll be sure to protect you!" Lee said with confidence.


    "I wouldn''t be so confident in those kids'' abilities the ones I sent are more than capable of dealing with them." Baki replied with a sneer.


    Kakashi then smiled as he replied. "Well then you haven''t studied their abilities at all."


    Hearing Kakashi''s words caused Baki to frown as he wondered if he had made the right decision, part of it was because Kankuro had insisted on handling the blonde-haired kid personally. But now, Baki wasn''t so sure that was the correct move anymore.


    "I guess we''ll see after everything is over with." Baki said as he created a blade of wind around his hand.


    "Agreed." Kakashi said as he opened his eye with the Sharingan and pulled out his kunai.

 41 Chapter 41 Clash! Leaf VS Sand!

    After walking into the woods for some time, Sasuke finally stopped and turned to face Naruto who was still wondering about what was happening.


    "This is good enough." Sasuke said.


    "What''s going on Sasuke? Why''d you bring us all the way out here?" Naruto asked.


    "Naruto, ever since we graduated from the academy, you''ve changed." Sasuke said suddenly.


    "Eh? What do you mean?" Naruto asked as he worried Sasuke might have caught on to him somehow.


    "You used to be the worst in the class, but now, you are definitely stronger than anyone else." Sasuke continued.


    Naruto worried about what Sasuke was going on about, and began thinking about an excuse to make sure he didn''t catch on to him.


    "Ever since our first match when you defeated me, you''ve been my goal to surpass, but then during the chunin exams, you were forced to leave, and I didn''t know when I''d ever see you again." Sasuke explained.


    Naruto remained silent as he listened to Sasuke.


    "But then it made me realize something, I''d grown used to you being stronger than me, and I stopped thinking about trying to surpass you."


    "But I can''t do that, if I can''t beat you, then there''s no way I could accomplish my goal of killing him."


    Naruto suddenly realized what Sasuke was going on about, he knew that Sasuke had started seeing him as a rival and one he wanted to surpass, and Naruto had hoped that Sasuke would slowly forget about killing Itachi. But now, it seemed that his absence caused Sasuke to start focusing on his goal of killing Itachi.


    "Naruto, I challenge you, I must defeat you in order to achieve my goal, so don''t you dare hold back against me!!" Sasuke shouted as he started rushing toward Naruto.


    Naruto frowned as he took a step back and blocked Sasuke''s kick that he had sent flying toward his head. Then he pushed Sasuke''s leg making him step backwards. Sasuke jumped back and pulled out several shurikens that he then threw at Naruto. Naruto jumped backwards as he dodged the shurikens flying toward him.


    Then he saw Sasuke start weaving hand seals.


    Snake ¡ú Ram ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Boar ¡ú Horse ¡ú Tiger


    <Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu>


    Naruto watched as Sasuke breathed in deeply before exhaling out and spewing a gigantic fireball at him.


    Naruto then weaved his own hand seals in order to counter.


    Tiger ¡ú Ox ¡ú Dog ¡ú Rabbit ¡ú Snake


    <Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Jutsu>


    Naruto poured in enough chakra in order to blow away the fireball away. Like blowing out a candle, the fireball was dispersed and Sasuke was sent flying into the air as well. Grimacing, Sasuke stabilized himself in the air as he began falling back down toward the ground. He focused on Naruto who was standing below him and he began weaving together more hand seals.


    Then he grabbed his wrist with his other hand as he gathered the chakra in the palm of his hand.


    <Chidori>


    Sasuke closed his eyes briefly before opening them wide to reveal a two tomoe sharingan in each eye.


    As he fell toward Naruto, he had held up his hand that he formed the Chidori in and remembered what Kakashi had told him when he was training.


    <Flashback>


    "Sasuke, in order for me to teach you this jutsu, you must promise me to never use this technique against your comrades." Kakashi said.


    <End Flashback>


    Sasuke shook his head, forcing himself to not think about Kakashi''s words and to instead focus back on Naruto.


    Naruto watched as Sasuke used Chidori and he couldn''t help but think back to the time from before. Are we really meant to fight like this? Naruto wondered, despite him trying to not bicker with Sasuke, he still found himself at odds with him. Why do we have to fight like this? Naruto asked himself as he found himself feeling a wave of sadness.


    Then he shook his head and created two shadow clones then he held his hand up as he formed Rasengan within his palm. I guess the only way to get through to him is to beat him down until he decides he doesn''t want to fight it out anymore. Naruto thought as he prepared himself to fight for real.


    Then he had the two clones grab him and throw him up to meet Sasuke head on. There were no words spoken between the two as they both brought their hands forward to clash. The two jutsus clashed creating a large blast that blew away the immediate surroundings away from the two.


    Sasuke was sent flying and slammed into a tree before falling onto the ground while Naruto flipped through the air and landed onto a branch. Sasuke pushing himself up and steadied himself before glaring at Naruto in frustration. He''s just too strong!! Sasuke thought to himself as he clenched his teeth in anger.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Baki raised his hand then swung it down, sending a blade of wind rushing toward Kakashi and the others.


    "Move!" Kakashi commanded as they all jumped out of the way.


    Then Kakashi turned back in time to block Baki''s attack with his kunai. However, he had to get out of the way as the blade on his kunai was sliced in half by Baki''s blade of wind.


    "Gaara, you take care of those two!" Baki shouted as he slashed at Kakashi once again.


    Gaara didn''t respond as he slowly walked toward Sakura and Lee. Causing the two of them to tense up in anticipation for whatever Gaara would do.


    "Where is Uzumaki Naruto?" Gaara asked.


    "Eh?" Both Sakura and Lee uttered in surprise.


    "Why do you want to know?" Sakura asked.


    "Because he is the only one I will fight, he''s strong, and therefore, is worthy for me to test my existence against." Gaara answered.


    "What do you mean?" Sakura asked.


    "When I was a child, my father ordered for my assassination, however, each assassin failed to kill me. In the end, he realized it was pointless to keep making the attempts. My existence is to only love myself, and for everyone I kill, I prove my own existence to myself." Gaara said as he looked at Sakura and Lee.


    The two of them stared at Gaara as fear slowly began taking hold of them.


    "That''s why, I must fight against the strong, to further prove my existence, so if you won''t tell me where Uzumaki Naruto is, then you must die." Gaara said as he lifted his hand up.


    Suddenly, Lee jumped in front of Sakura.


    "LEAF HURICANE!!" Lee shouted.


    Lee''s kick had stopped sand that had formed above Sakura''s head. Sakura took a step back in shock seeing Lee''s sudden movement.


    Lee landed onto the ground and stood up straight holding one arm behind his back and holding the other one up with the back of his hand facing his opponent.


    "If it is a fight you wish, then I shall give you one." Lee said.


    Gaara frowned as he looked over at Lee.


    Lee glanced over at Sakura and smiled. "Sakura, don''t worry, you''ll be safe with me!"


    Then he turned his head to look at Gaara again.


    "From what you said about your past, I can understand your desire to fight against others. However, I will not stand by and let you hurt the people I care about!" Lee said.


    Suddenly, Gaara clutched his head as if he was experiencing a headache. Then he looked at Lee with a crazed look.


    "Then you must die for me to live!" Gaara said as he stared at Lee.


    Lee narrowed his eyes as he did a backflip and dodged sand that flew to where he had been standing.


    "That sand is fast!" Lee said as he continued dodging the attacks that kept coming.


    He kept dodging and moving around until he found himself next to Sakura once again.


    "Sakura, get out of here, go find Naruto and Sasuke, I know they are strong, but we don''t know anything about the other two that went after them." Lee said.


    Sakura stared at Lee before shaking her head.


    "No! I refuse to stand aside and let you guys protect me! I''m going to fight as well!" Sakura said as she pulled out several kunai''s and threw them at Gaara.


    Gaara''s sand quickly blocked the kunai''s however, they exploded shortly after, as Sakura had tied explosive tags to them before throwing them.


    "I can at least provide you with support!" Sakura said toward Lee.


    Lee stared at Sakura in surprise before smiling and nodding his head. "Alright, I''ll distract him so you can create an opening, then you can leave the rest to me!" Lee said as he took a battle stance again.


    "Right!" Sakura replied as he began pulling out more of her ninja tools.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Kakashi dodge the blades of wind that Baki sent flying toward him as he continued to analyze him. Then he rushed Baki and began fighting in close quarters combat. Kakashi threw a punch which Baki blocked, then Kakashi grabbed Baki''s wrist that blocked his fist and threw him over his shoulder. Baki grabbed Kakashi''s wrist and re-stabilized himself midair, before bringing his knee up to his chest and swinging it toward Kakashi''s face. Kakashi let go of Baki and caught his knee, then used his other hand to throw a kunai at Baki. Baki flipped backwards dodging the kunai but not before it could cut his cheek slightly.


    Baki landed onto the ground and jumped backwards to create distance between him and Kakashi.


    "Looks like you live up to your reputation Kakashi!" Baki commented.


    "As do you Baki." Kakashi replied.


    "Worried about your students?" Baki asked.


    Kakashi frowned slightly before shaking his head. "No, but you should be."


    Then he started weaving hand signs rapidly.


    Ox ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Hare ¡ú Rat ¡ú Boar ¡ú Bird ¡ú Ox ¡ú Horse ¡ú Bird ¡ú Rat ¡ú Tiger ¡ú Dog ¡ú Tiger ¡ú Snake ¡ú Ox ¡ú Ram ¡ú Snake ¡ú Boar ¡ú Ram ¡ú Rat ¡ú Yang Water ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Bird ¡ú Dragon ¡ú Bird ¡ú Ox ¡ú Horse ¡ú Ram ¡ú Tiger ¡ú Snake ¡ú Rat ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Hare ¡ú Boar ¡ú Dragon ¡ú Ram ¡ú Rat ¡ú Ox ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Bird ¡ú Yang Water ¡ú Rat ¡ú Boar ¡ú Bird


    <Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu>


    Using the water from a nearby pond, Kakashi created a large water dragon that he sent lunging toward Baki.


    Baki frowned as he jumped backwards and concentrated more chakra into his hands as he created a stronger blade of wind that he used to slice the water dragon in half. When he landed back onto the ground, he saw that Kakashi was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, the ground below him cracked apart as Kakashi appeared and punched him up into the air. Baki grunted in pain as he flipped himself midair and threw several shurikens toward Kakashi in retaliation.


    Kakashi clapped his hands together and slammed them back onto the ground.


    <Earth Release: Earth Wall Jutsu>


    A wall of earth rose out of the ground and the shurikens that Baki threw impaled themselves onto the earth wall Kakashi created. Looks like it won''t be so easy to incapacitate him, Kakashi thought as he sighed to himself.


    Baki landed onto the ground and frowned as he thought about the exchange, he just had with Kakashi. Looks like he''s as strong as the rumors suggest. I can''t get a good opening on him.


    Kakashi jumped out from behind the wall and started rushing toward Baki. Baki frowned as the two clashed but then smiled as he brought his hand down.


    "Fool, you shouldn''t disregard your defense like this!" Baki shouted.


    Then he swung his arm down as he slashed with his blade of wind. He sliced Kakashi in half, causing Baki to smile before he realized that something was wrong as Kakashi''s form began changing until he changed into lightning and electrocuted Baki.


    Kakashi then appeared in front of Baki.


    "I didn''t forget." Kakashi replied.

 42 Chapter 42 Sudden Reversal!

    Kakashi stared at Baki''s unconscious body before he turned to look in the direction of Sakura and Lee. I hope those two are alright, Kakashi thought to himself. Suddenly Kakashi''s eyes widened as he glanced down at his stomach and saw an invisible blade coated in his blood sticking out of his gut. Then he glanced over behind him and saw Baki.


    "You aren''t the only one that''s got a few tricks up their sleeve." Baki replied.


    Kakashi coughed out blood that soaked his mask as he pushed Baki away and jumped away, holding his gut. He hid behind a large rock out of Baki''s sight as he groaned in pain. Damn, I let my guard down because I thought it was over! Kakashi berated himself, things aren''t looking good for me now, I hope that isn''t the case for the others.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Sasuke rushed toward Naruto once again and the two of them clashed, Naruto blocked each of Sasuke''s attacks, and throwing in a few counters. Sasuke kicked at Naruto''s side which Naruto responded to by grabbing his leg and grabbing Sasuke''s neck and kneeing him in his gut. Sasuke gasped for air as it got knocked out of him by Naruto''s blow. Then Naruto spun and did a reverse round house, kicking Sasuke away.


    Rolling across the ground, Sasuke slowly came to a stop and slowly pushed himself up in agony. Naruto watched and frowned.


    "Sasuke, you can''t beat me. Let''s stop this!" Naruto said.


    "No, I must defeat you!" Sasuke gasped out before throwing himself at Naruto once again.


    Naruto then took a stance as he waited for Sasuke to get close. Sasuke rushed forward and brought his hand back and threw it at Naruto. Naruto deflected Sasuke''s punch, making his stomach wide open, Naruto then threw punch after punch straight into Sasuke''s gut, lifting him up into the air with each hit. Then he jumped up and kicked Sasuke again. While flying away, Sasuke brought his hands together and started weaving hand seals.


    Snake ¡ú Dragon ¡ú Rabbit ¡ú Tiger


    <Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu>


    Sasuke spewed out a jet of flames straight at Naruto, burning everything in its path. Naruto jumped out of the way and created a clone. Time to end this once and for all, Naruto thought to himself. He then sat down and closed his eyes after sending his clone to face Sasuke. Seeing this, Sasuke gnashed his teeth together in anger, is he looking down on me? He thought, seeing Naruto sitting down and closing his eyes while he sent his clone to face him. Am I that worthless in his eyes? Sasuke wondered.


    Clone Naruto threw a punch at Sasuke''s face, Sasuke grabbed hold of clone Naruto''s wrist then spun and he thrust his kunai into clone Naruto''s gut, forcing it to dispel. Then he faced the Naruto that was still sitting down on the ground.


    "NARUTO!!" Sasuke shouted as he rushed toward him.


    Naruto opened his eyes and the sage markings appeared around them while revealing the toad slits within his pupils. He then looked up and saw Sasuke right above him. He leaned back and landed on his hands and pushed himself up into the air where he flipped and landed on his feet. Sasuke had then landed onto the ground where Naruto had once been standing.


    "Fight me! Narutoooo!!" Sasuke yelled as he rushed toward Naruto while weaving hand seals once again.


    Ox ¡ú Rabbit ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Dragon ¡ú Rat ¡ú Bird ¡ú Ox ¡ú Snake ¡ú Dog ¡ú Tiger ¡ú Monkey


    "Chidori!!" Sasuke shouted as he continued rushing forward while holding his hand close to the ground, tearing the soil up as he made his way toward Naruto.


    Naruto stared at Sasuke as he started rushing toward Sasuke as well.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Gaara continued standing in his original spot as Lee kept running around him trying to get close but with no luck as Gaara''s sand kept getting in the way. Sakura also couldn''t seem to make any progress as every thing she threw at Gaara was blocked or deflected by his sand as well, even when he wasn''t looking at her.


    Does he have eyes on the back of his head? Sakura wondered as despite Lee''s attempts of distracting Gaara, the sand still continued to defend his blind spots.


    We''re not making any progress here, maybe if I get closer, we might be able to turn the tables here. I hope Kakashi-sensei and the others are alright, Sakura thought as she started rushing toward Gaara.


    "Eh?! Sakura! What are you doing?!" Lee shouted as he noticed Sakura rushing toward Gaara.


    "Creating an opening!" Sakura shouted as she continued running.


    "I''m growing tired of this charade. It''s time to end this now." Gaara suddenly said, and he turned to face Sakura.


    "Eh?" Sakura stared at Gaara as he raised his hand.


    Oh no! Lee thought as he started running toward Sakura as well.


    The sand rushed toward Sakura at a higher speed than before, quickly engulfing her within it.


    "Die." Gaara said as he clenched his fist tightly.


    Suddenly, a large explosion was heard behind Gaara just as the sand imploded on itself, crushing everything within it. However, Gaara frowned as he realized that there was no one within the sand.


    "What''s going on?" Gaara said aloud as he wondered what had happened.


    "Made it!" Lee said in relief.


    Hearing Lee''s voice, Gaara looked over and saw Lee carrying Sakura. He looked over at the area he heard the explosion from and within the crater he noticed what appeared to be two weights. What are those? Gaara thought to himself as he looked back toward Lee.


    "Eh?" Sakura uttered in confusion; she had thought she was about to be crushed by the sand when suddenly she realized she was being held by Lee.


    "Don''t worry Sakura, I''m going to take this seriously now!" Lee said as he lowered Sakura to the ground.


    "I recognize that you are a strong opponent and therefore, I must fight you with all of my ability in order to defeat you." Lee said as he crouched down and took off straight toward Gaara.


    "Eh?" Sakura said as she watched Lee suddenly disappear and then reappear right in front of Gaara.


    Gaara stared at Lee in shock before he received a punch to the face from Lee. What speed! Sakura thought to herself as she saw that the sand couldn''t keep up with Lee''s new speed.


    Lee disappeared from view once again just as Gaara tried using the sand to attack Lee. Then Lee appeared behind Gaara and launched him into the air. Cracks began forming on Gaara''s skin as Lee continued raining blows onto his body.


    "Eh? What''s happening to him?" Sakura uttered as she saw the cracks grow larger over time.


    Then her eyes widened as she realized what was happening. He must have encased himself in a shell made of sand to act as armor, that''s why cracks are forming all over his body, because Lee''s attacks are slowly breaking apart his defense! Sakura thought.


    Gaara then glanced over at Sakura and lifted his hand up. Sand then formed and started rushing toward Sakura.


    Seeing this, Lee knew what was happening and changed directions. Jumping in front of Sakura in order to block the sand that was flying at her.


    Gaara landed onto the ground and slowly stood up as he stared at Lee, who''s arms were now covered in cuts and bruises from directly blocking his sand in order to protect Sakura.


    "You''re weak! Because of her, you''ve injured yourself!" Gaara said.


    Sakura stared at Lee''s arms covered in injuries that hung by his side now. She began feeling that this was all her fault, if only she hadn''t been here, Lee wouldn''t have gotten injured like this.


    "You''re wrong!" Lee said. Snapping Sakura out of her thoughts.


    "Protecting others is not being weak. It''s a sign of strength!" Lee retorted.


    Gaara frowned as he moved his hands again, directing the sand to attack Sakura once again.


    Lee moved again and blocked the sand''s attacks each time, further increasing his injuries.


    "Why?! Why do you continue protecting her!" Gaara asked.


    Lee gasped as he took in a breath of air. He gazed at Gaara before he replied. "Because she is someone precious to me!"


    Sakura stared at Lee with a conflicted expression on her face. She remembered the first time she met Lee, and all of her interactions with him since.


    "Lee..." Sakura said as she stared at his back.


    Lee looked back at Sakura and smiled while holding up his hand in a thumbs up. "Don''t worry Sakura!"


    Suddenly, Gaara held his head as he began groaning in pain. Causing the two of them to look over at him. What''s happening? Sakura wondered, as she felt something ominous coming from Gaara''s body.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Kakashi was breathing hard as he dressed his wound as best he could while maintaining his vigilance toward Baki.


    He glanced over the rock toward Baki''s direction, then quickly ducked his head as an invisible blade of wind cut into the boulder where he had glanced out from.


    "Is this the best you can do? Kakashi!" Baki called out.


    Kakashi groaned as his sudden movement caused his wound to bleed more. Just great, because of my carelessness, I''m at a disadvantage in this fight. But I can''t let him leave, he''s too much for Sakura and Lee to handle. Think, what''s his weakness? Kakashi wondered as he thought back to their earlier exchanges in their battle. But whatever I do, it has to be quick, I''m losing blood just sitting here, Kakashi thought as he glanced down toward his wound. But how''d he escape my lightning clone? Kakashi wondered.


    He uses wind nature, which is the natural counter to my lightning, so it had to have been something involving that. That''s the only way he could have avoided taking damage from the clone, or at the very least minimizing the damage he''d take from getting hit. Then, Kakashi widened his eyes as he thought of something. Maybe, but only one way to find out, Kakashi thought.


    Just as Baki was getting impatient from waiting for Kakashi to come out from hiding behind the boulder he suddenly sensed an ominous chakra coming from Gaara''s direction. Oh no! He thought as he turned to face that direction.


    Kakashi, had also sensed it but quickly noticed Baki''s sudden change in demeanor and quickly acted.


    <Earth Release: Hidden Mole Jutsu>


    Kakashi quickly went underground and made his way toward Baki, while he was distracted.


    <Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu>


    Kakashi grabbed Baki''s ankle and quickly pulled him underground, leaving only his head above ground. Kakashi then came up and looked at Baki.


    "Looks like I win this time." Kakashi said as his body began changing into lightning and electrocuted Baki.


    Kakashi stared from behind the boulder, watching everything.


    Once it was all over, he waited for Baki to move, but noticed that Baki was unconscious this time. He sighed in relief as he leaned back against the boulder and then stared in the direction of the ominous chakra.


    Well, because of that, I was able to finish my fight, but I hope Sakura and Lee are alright. Kakashi thought as he focused on mending his wound as quickly as possible. Then he thought about Naruto and Sasuke, I hope those two are alright as well, Kakashi thought.

 43 Chapter 43 Despairing Situation!

    Naruto and Sasuke were rushing toward each other, Sasuke thrust his hand holding the Chidori toward Naruto''s heart. Naruto didn''t do anything as he continued getting closer to Sasuke, then at the final moment, Naruto brought his hand up hit Sasuke''s arm, forcing him to change direction. Naruto then avoided the blow from Chidori before bringing his other hand and clenching it into a fist as he sent it straight toward Sasuke''s face, and slamming him into the ground.


    Then Naruto grabbed Sasuke''s body and jumped out of the way as a blast of wind hit the ground he and Sasuke were originally standing in.


    "Tch." Temari said as she frowned.


    "I missed."


    "He wouldn''t have been able to humiliate me if he couldn''t dodge your attack Temari." Kankuro said as the two of them were standing on a nearby tree branch.


    Naruto looked at the two newcomers with a calm expression. Then he glanced over toward the direction of Kakashi and Baki, and Sakura, Lee and Gaara. After analyzing the situation, he understood what had probably happened. Looks like despite the chunin exams being halted, the Sand are still hostile toward the Leaf, Naruto thought.


    Then he looked over at Kankuro and Temari.


    "Oi, doesn''t his eyes look different?" Temari stated as she looked closer at Naruto.


    "What does it matter, he''s still going to die all the same." Kankuro replied.


    Naruto frowned slightly, looks like things are getting out of control.


    "So, does this mean the Sand is declaring war on the Leaf?" Naruto suddenly asked aloud.


    Both Kankuro and Temari stared at Naruto in surprise.


    "How?" Kankuro began before Naruto cut him off.


    "I can sense what''s happening, Gaara is facing Sakura and Lee while your team leader is facing against Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said.


    "Eh?" Both Kankuro and Temari stared at Naruto.


    "Shit, he was a sensory type?!" Temari cursed.


    "Doesn''t matter! We need to kill him!" Kankuro said as he pulled the puppet on his back out of the bandages, he carried it in.


    "Let''s do this Crow!" Kankuro shouted as he began operating the puppet.


    Naruto stared at the two of them before creating three shadow clones.


    "You take Sasuke out of here." Naruto told the third clone.


    The clone nodded and picked up Sasuke''s unconscious body before running away.


    "Damn, don''t let that clone get away Temari!" Kankuro shouted.


    "Right!" Temari replied as she started rushing after the clone.


    "Did I say you guys could go!?" Naruto yelled as one of his clones got in front of Temari.


    He then glared at both Kankuro and Temari.


    "Sorry, I don''t have anything against you two, but I''m upset and you two aren''t giving me any options here. So I''m going to have to get rough with you guys." Naruto said as he started walking toward them.


    Temari also grit her teeth in anger after hearing Naruto''s words. He was completely disregarding them, as if he knew that the two of them couldn''t match him together let alone on their own.


    "We''ll make you eat those words you bastard!" Temari shouted as she fully opened her fan and swung it through the air.


    She created a large gust of wind that soared toward Naruto.


    Naruto stopped moving and started forming hand seals.


    Tiger ¡ú Ox ¡ú Dog ¡ú Rabbit ¡ú Snake


    <Sage Art: Massive Breakthrough Jutsu>


    Augmented by the sage chakra, Naruto used the Great Breakthrough jutsu and blew away the gust of wind Temari had sent toward him. The difference in power was so great that not only did Naruto overpower her jutsu, canceling it out, but the remaining gust of wind blew Temari high up into the air.


    Seeing this, Kankuro stared at Naruto in utter shock. What the hell? Kankuro thought before he looked back at Naruto as if he was some kind of monster.


    "I have no time to be playing games with you guys right now, I have to stop Gaara before he goes out of control and hurts someone important to me!" Naruto said as he glared at Kankuro.


    Oh shit, Kankuro thought as he finally realized the difference between him and Naruto. Then he clenched his teeth as he sent Crow toward Naruto.


    Naruto then raised his hand and began gathering chakra.


    <Ultra-Big-Ball Rasengan>


    Naruto raised his hand high as the massive swirling mass of chakra formed, then using the assistance of his remaining clone, he launched himself into the air and thrusted the swirling mass toward Crow. Crow was crushed to pieces as it was launched toward the ground by the Rasengan and then ground up further into smaller pieces. Kankuro stared at the whole process and understood that he really did stand zero chance against Naruto. Forget about trying to get back at Naruto for humiliating him, he couldn''t even deal with one move from Naruto.


    Naruto then appeared behind Kankuro.


    "Sorry, but I''m going to need you to go to sleep for a bit." Naruto said with a smile before slamming his fist into Kankuro''s face, launching him toward the ground by the shattered pieces of Crow.


    Then Naruto looked at Temari who had managed to keep his clone at bay for the time being. Now I know who''s stronger between the two, or maybe it''s a matter of match-up, Kankuro is a puppet master, he''s not one for close combat. Temari glanced over and paled when she saw that Kankuro had already been defeated and she was surrounded by Naruto and his two clones.


    There''s no way I can win, I''m already having trouble dealing with one of him, and I don''t even think I could win, let alone facing off against three of him. Temari landed on a nearby tree branch and stared at Naruto. Naruto had already instructed one of his clones to tie up Kankuro who had been knocked out.


    "So, what''s it going to be?" Naruto asked as he looked up at Temari.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Lee and Sakura stared at Gaara who was clutching his head in pain.


    "What''s happening?" Sakura asked.


    "I don''t know, but I don''t think anything good is going to happen." Lee replied. He then grimaced in pain.


    Sakura stared at Lee in concern and reached out to his arm.


    "Here, let me help you." Sakura said.


    Lee looked over and saw Sakura start applying first aid to his arms.


    "Eh? I didn''t know you were a medical-nin Sakura." Lee said in surprise.


    "Oh, well, it''s something I''ve been learning recently. It''s the least I can do." Sakura replied.


    Sakura''s face flushed red slightly as she spoke.


    "I think it''s wonderful! You really do care about others Sakura!" Lee said while smiling.


    Sakura looked up in surprise then smiled.


    "Thank you for saying that. This is the least I can do, since I''m not very good at fighting." Sakura spoke.


    "No, this is very important, without people like you to heal others, the people like me who can only fight wouldn''t be able to keep fighting. So, don''t sell yourself short!" Lee replied.


    Sakura smiled even more and continued healing Lee''s injuries as best she could.


    Lee then looked back toward Gaara who was still clutching his head in agony for some reason. Then he tensed up when he saw Gaara stare at them again.


    This is bad! Lee thought as he pushed Sakura out of the way in time before sand shot through the air sailing past where she had been standing.


    "Hehe, let''s see if you can continue protecting her!" Gaara shouted.


    Then he moved his hands and caused more and more sand to attack Sakura. Lee grit his teeth as he continued defending Sakura. Guy-sensei, I can''t beat him unless I do that, please forgive me, but this is so I can protect what is precious to me! Lee thought as the veins on his head started popping out on his forehead.


    First gate, gate of opening, open! Lee thought as he accelerated faster. He grabbed Sakura and carried her to a safe distance before letting her down and turning to face Gaara.


    "Stay here, Sakura, he''s not someone you can face!" Lee said as he took off again.


    Second gate, gate of healing, open! Lee thought as he continued rushing toward Gaara. Gaara stared at Lee in shock as he noticed Lee get reenergized.


    Third gate, gate of life, open! Lee thought, and his skin began turning red. What''s happening to him? Both Sakura and Gaara wondered as Lee was undergoing a transformation. I''m not done yet! Lee thought. Fourth gate, gate of pain, open! Suddenly, Lee''s speed increased even further.


    WHAT?! Gaara thought as he completely lost sight of Lee once again. He was then sent flying into the air before realizing what had happened. Sakura stared in amazement at Lee as he started treating Gaara like some kind of rag-doll. Sending him flying in all directions without being able to do anything about it.


    The sand... Gaara thought as he started feeling the pain from Lee''s blows. It can''t keep up with him anymore. Gaara then started bringing the sand closer to his body.


    "I don''t think so!" Lee shouted as he knocked Gaara away from his sand.


    "Do you think I''ll let you do as you please. Think again!"


    Lee kicked Gaara in the side and sent him flying before appearing next to him again and punching him straight into the air.


    "It''s time to end this!" Lee shouted.


    The bandages wrapped around Lee''s arms began coming undone as he appeared behind Gaara. Then Lee tugged on them and began wrapping them around Gaara''s body.


    "Take this! Primary Lotus!" Lee shouted as he wrapped Gaara completely in the bandages and began spinning around rapidly sending them both hurtling toward the ground.


    Sakura stared in amazement at Lee''s battle with Gaara from a distance.


    Just as the two were about to hit the ground, Lee let go and jumped away from Gaara, landing on his feet as he began panting and gasping for air as he released the eight gates. That should do it! Lee thought to himself as he fell to his knees from exhaustion.


    "LEE!" Sakura shouted as she ran up to him.


    She crouched down and began dressing his injuries.


    "Sakura¡­." Lee mumbled as he looked over at Sakura.


    "Be quiet, let me focus, you really shouldn''t have pushed yourself like this!" Sakura berated.


    Lee laughed as he looked at Sakura, feeling happy that she was no longer talking to him negatively.


    Suddenly, Lee heard movement and glanced over to where Gaara had landed.


    "No way¡­." Lee uttered as he finally could see what had happened as the dust cleared.


    Gaara was buried chest deep into the ground, but what he had landed on was sand that had formed from the gourd he carried on his back. Gaara''s legs began moving and the sand shifted as it slowly put Gaara back onto his feet. Once Gaara was on his feet he glared at both Lee and Sakura with a crazed look.


    Gaara then raised his hand up into the air.


    "Sakura! Get away!" Lee shouted as he pushed Sakura away.


    Sand wrapped around Lee''s arm that he pushed Sakura away with and then crushed it.


    "GAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Lee shouted in pain.


    "LEE!!" Sakura cried out in shock.


    "DIE!" Gaara shouted as he forced the sand wrapped around Lee''s arm to move to the rest of Lee''s body.


    Suddenly, am explosion appeared right beside Gaara, but the sand had shielded him. When he glanced over, he saw Sakura standing to the side holding up more kunai with explosive tags tied to them.


    Lee looked over at Sakura as he tried to move toward her. "Sakura.... Get away!!" Lee pleaded with her.


    "No, I''m not going to leave you to die Lee!!" Sakura berated him.


    "I''ll never abandon my comrades!" Sakura yelled as she began running to the side and throwing more kunai''s toward Gaara.


    "Fine, then you can die first!" Gaara shouted as he changed target, releasing Lee from the sand as his focus changed to Sakura.


    Lee struggled to move as he watched helplessly as Sakura faced off against Gaara by herself.


    "Sakura..." Lee uttered as he stretched his hand out toward her.

 44 Chapter 44 Sakuras Determination!

    Naruto stared at Temari as he waited for her reply, but he was beginning to grow impatient with her. If possibly, he didn''t really want to fight her so he hoped she would just surrender, saving him the trouble of dealing with her. But if she didn''t give him an answer soon, he worried about what might happen with Gaara, he could already sense the change in Gaara''s chakra that was happening, so he couldn''t waste any more time.


    He also wondered where the hell Jiraiya had gone, despite sensing around, he couldn''t pick up Jiraiya''s chakra at all. When you get back Pervy-sage, I''m going to put you through hell, Naruto thought as he continued looking at Temari.


    "I won''t wait for an answer forever, so if your plan is to try and stall, then it''s not going to work." Naruto called out.


    Temari grit her teeth upon hearing his words as she had already thought about doing just that. Because she knew there was no way she could defeat Naruto, so at the very least, she could distract and stall him for the others to take care of things on their end.


    "I''ll give you ten seconds to decide, and if you don''t make a decision, I''ll knock you out right here just like I did with your brother." Naruto called out.


    "Eh?" Temari uttered in shock. So little time? She wondered.


    "Ten." Naruto began counting down.


    "Wait¡­." Temari called out.


    "Nine, I''m done waiting, decide!" Naruto retorted.


    "Eight."


    Temari stared at Naruto in disbelief as she hadn''t thought he would be this decisive, for some reason, she pegged him as someone less cunning than he was acting.


    "Seven." Naruto continued counting down.


    Temari thought frantically about any way she could get out of her situation, but nothing came to mind as Naruto kept going on his count down.


    "Six."


    As Naruto got closer to the end of the count, Temari found herself already admitting defeat as she couldn''t find a way out of her predicament.


    "Five-"


    "WAIT!" Temari shouted, interrupting Naruto''s count.


    "Have you decided." Naruto asked.


    "Yes.... I give up... " Temari answered as she fell to her knees.


    "Good, now you can look after your brother, my clone will be keeping an eye on you two." Naruto replied.


    Then he looked over to his remaining clone. "Go to Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto instructed.


    The clone nodded and rushed off. Then Naruto turned to face Gaara''s direction and started running. Please let me make it in time, Naruto thought as he hurried.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Sakura frantically dodged while throwing shurikens and kunai with explosive tags tied to them trying desperately to fight against Gaara. At this point, she already realized that Gaara was just playing with her, and had yet to actually seriously try to kill her.


    "Good! Good! Make me feel alive!" Gaara yelled as he began increasing his attack pace.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Kakashi groaned as he finished tending to his wound, and he slowly got to his feet. Time to go help out Sakura and Lee, that ominous chakra can''t be anything good, Kakashi thought. Just as he was about to head over there, he noticed movement appear behind him. Kakashi quickly turn around with a kunai in his hand but then stopped when he saw that it was Naruto.


    "Naruto!" Kakashi exclaimed upon seeing him.


    "Kakashi-sensei! Are you alright?" Naruto asked as he rushed over toward Kakashi.


    "I''ve seen better days, but I''m fine. What about you? Where''s Sasuke and what happened to those two sand genin?" Kakashi replied.


    "One of my clones is with Sasuke, but he''s fine, the two sand genin have been dealt with and the real me is heading toward Sakura and Lee to help them deal with Gaara." Naruto explained.


    Kakashi''s eyes widened when he heard Naruto. "The real you, so this you is only a clone?" Kakashi asked.


    Naruto nodded his head in response to Kakashi''s words.


    "I see¡­." Kakashi spoke, then he sat down onto the ground suddenly as his vision began growing increasingly blurry.


    "Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted as he crouched down beside Kakashi to help stabilize him.


    "I''m fine, just lost quite a bit of blood. I''ll recover..." Kakashi groaned.


    Naruto looked down toward Kakashi''s gut, and saw the bandages wrapped around it and the blood that was staining them.


    "You shouldn''t be moving around Kakashi-sensei, you need to rest!" Naruto said after looking at Kakashi''s wounds.


    Kakashi shook his head as he struggled to get back on his feet.


    "No, Sakura and Lee are in trouble, even with you going there yourself, I need to be there too." Kakashi replied.


    Naruto placed his hand onto Kakashi''s shoulders and kept him from getting up. "You''ll only become dead weight with your current injuries, you lost too much blood, you can hardly stand!"


    Kakashi looked at Naruto as he stopped struggling.


    "Don''t worry! I didn''t just sit around doing nothing on Mount My¨­boku!" Naruto said with confidence.


    Kakashi stared at Naruto for a moment before his eyes widened as a thought crossed his mind.


    "Naruto¡­... don''t tell me, you-!" Kakashi began.


    Naruto nodded his head toward Kakashi.


    "Yeah, I''ve been training in sage jutsu, and I''ve mastered sage mode." Naruto replied.


    Kakashi''s eyes widened as he looked at Naruto in a new look. He could hardly believe it, but looking at Naruto and the confident look in his eyes, he found himself believing it.


    "I see, I guess you''re right." Kakashi said as he finally stopped resisting and sat down onto the ground to rest.


    "Then I''ll leave the rest to you Naruto!" Kakashi said.


    "Right! Leave it to me!" Naruto grinned.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Sakura was covered in scratches and bruises, she had done her best to avoid Gaara''s attacks, but she knew that he had yet to actually try and kill her.


    Gaara stared at Sakura who was out of breath and barely standing.


    "I''ve grown bored toying with you, it''s time for you to die!" Gaara said as he raised his hand.


    Sakura stared at Gaara as she found she no longer had the strength to try and dodge, she was out of kunais and shurikens, and she had used the last of her explosive tags. She knew that there was nothing she could do against Gaara right now. But she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her despair as she glared at Gaara.


    Seeing Sakura''s expression caused Gaara to hesitate his hand.


    "Why do you look at me like that?!" Gaara asked.


    "Eh?" Sakura muttered.


    "Don''t look at me like that!!" Gaara suddenly shouted.


    "Don''t look at me with that expression!!" Gaara yelled as he forced the sand to quickly surround Sakura.


    "DIE!!" Gaara shouted as he clenched his fist tightly together.


    "RASENGAN!!"


    Suddenly, Naruto came flying from the sky as he sent his hand holding the Rasengan down onto Gaara''s head. The sand blocked it, but a blast came about as the Rasengan caused the sand to explode, forcing Gaara back and making him lose concentration of the sand surrounding Sakura, making it fall away from around her. Naruto them jumped over and caught Sakura, then he brought her to Lee''s side who was unconscious.


    Naruto looked at Sakura''s and Lee''s injuries. He frowned as he then glanced back toward Gaara. Looks like I''m going to have to beat the lesson into you once again! Naruto thought as he gently placed Sakura onto the ground beside Lee.


    Sakura blinked her eyes, she had expected to be crushed to death by the sand, but when she opened her eyes, she had found Naruto holding her in his arms.


    "N-Naruto?" Sakura called out, causing him to look down at her.


    "Sakura, are you alright?" Naruto asked.


    "I''m fine, Sakura said as she slowly struggled to sit up.


    Naruto placed his hands on her shoulders and held her on the ground. "Don''t force yourself, I''ll handle this." Naruto said.


    "But!" Sakura tried to resist.


    "Sakura, you''ve done enough, take it easy for now. Let me take care of the rest!" Naruto said.


    Sakura stared at Naruto, and tears began filling her eyes.


    "Naruto¡­. I tried¡­... I tried so hard to be strong like you... But I couldn''t do anything against him..." Sakura cried.


    Naruto looked down at Sakura as tears filled her eyes.


    "Why does all my effort not matter at all?" Sakura cried.


    Naruto frowned as he watched Sakura cry her heart out.


    "Why can''t I be strong like you and be able to protect others!" Sakura asked.


    "Sakura... You protected Lee." Naruto said.


    Sakura suddenly blinked her tear-filled eyes as she looked up at Naruto. Then she looked over at Lee who was unconscious beside her.


    "If you hadn''t been here, Lee would have died, but because you were here, Lee is still alive!" Naruto said.


    "You are strong, you just have to keep going!" Naruto said.


    Sakura covered her eyes as she cried harder.


    "Now rest, leave the rest to me, I''ll take care of this." Naruto said as he stood up and started walking toward Gaara.


    Gaara gazed at Naruto with a crazed expression.


    "Uzumaki Naruto!!!" Gaara called out.


    "Gaara¡­." Naruto mumbled as he looked at him.


    "It''s time for me to prove my existence against you!" Gaara yelled as he raised his hand causing the sand to move in accordance with his will.


    Naruto crouched down then rushed toward Gaara. Dodging his sand attacks as he slowly got closer to Gaara. Seeing that his attacks weren''t reaching Naruto at all, Gaara began attacking more frantically.


    "Sorry, but you''ve hurt my friends, so I have to pay you back for that!" Naruto called out as he closed the distance between him and Gaara.


    "Clench your teeth!" Naruto yelled.


    Then he brought his fist forward and slammed it into Gaara''s face, launching him backward, causing the sand armor surrounding his face to shatter.


    Gaara''s eyes widened in shock as he couldn''t understand how he couldn''t touch Naruto at all, despite his speed being significantly slower than Lee''s from before.


    "Gaara! I''m going to kick your ass!" Naruto yelled as he held up his fist toward Gaara.


    Gaara fell onto the ground and rolled before he stopped. Then he slowly got up and glared at Naruto.


    The he grimaced in pain and held his head. "Don''t ¡­ be upset ¡­ mother. I''ll feed you some delicious blood soon!" Gaara said through clenched teeth.


    Naruto stared at Gaara. Soon, Gaara suppressed the pain and looked at Naruto once again with a calm expression.


    "Let''s begin, Uzumaki Naruto!" Gaara said.


    Naruto looked at Gaara before rushing toward him. He pulled out two kunais and threw them at Gaara. Gaara''s sand erupted in front of him creating a wall that blocked the kunai.


    "Useless!" Gaara said.


    Suddenly, the two kunais exploded, creating a large smoke screen in front of Gaara. Naruto then appeared behind Gaara and kicked Gaara''s back.


    Fast! Gaara thought as he was barely able to react in time to the attack. The sand blocked Naruto''s kick and then began wrapping itself around Naruto''s leg.


    "Sorry, but I''m just a clone!" Naruto said as he smiled.


    Then his form began growing faint before he exploded outward as a burst of wind.


    What?! Gaara exclaimed inwardly.


    Suddenly Naruto appeared above him as he held two Rasengans in each hand.


    "Rasenrengan!" Naruto shouted.


    Then he launched the two Rasengans toward Gaara one after the other. Forcing Gaara backwards as he then got sent flying back. Gaara then used the sand to catch himself and he stood back up.


    Gaara stared at Naruto before bringing his hands together as he began mumbling to himself. The sand then began surrounding Gaara''s body forming a sphere in shape. Naruto then remembered this from Sasuke''s fight with Gaara back during the chunin exams. Looks like he''s finally going to bring out Shukaku! Naruto thought.

 45 Chapter 45 Facing The Sand Spirit!

    Naruto watched as the sand surrounded Gaara, forming into a sphere. Looks like Gaara is going to bring out Shukaku for the fight, Naruto thought to himself. I guess now''s a good chance to start re-gathering natural chakra, it''s almost been thirty minutes since I first gathered it when I was facing Sasuke.


    Naruto then sat down onto the ground and closed his eyes as he focused on gathering more natural chakra from the surroundings.


    After about a minute of gathering natural chakra, the sage markings reappeared around Naruto''s eyes, and the toad slits within his pupils appeared once again. He then stood up and gazed at the sand sphere covering Gaara. Man, being in sage mode, I can now feel the awful chakra emanating from it, it''s really awful, Naruto thought.


    Well, I don''t have any good piercing techniques right, and I''m not trying to kill Gaara either, so let''s try this, Naruto thought as he held his hand up.


    Naruto gathered his chakra and a massive swirling mass of chakra began forming within his palm.


    <Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan>


    Gaara was inside the sphere of sand as he began speaking to himself.


    "Don''t worry mother, I''ve found someone who will kill!"


    "I''ll bash his head open and the blood will spill out everywhere."


    "Delicious blood that I will feed you."


    Naruto rushed toward the sphere of sand containing Gaara, then he thrust his palm forward with the massive Rasengan in hand toward the sand sphere. Spikes formed on the sphere and pierced toward Naruto, however, the massive Rasengan completely destroyed the sand spikes, grinding them to dust as Naruto pressed on. Soon, the Rasengan hit the sand sphere and started carving away at the sand''s defenses. Naruto pushed more until finally, the sand gave way, Naruto quickly dispersed the chakra of the Rasengan bringing it to the size of a normal sized Rasengan before slamming it straight into Gaara''s chest, launching him backwards into the sand wall behind him and through that as he rotated in air while flying.


    Naruto landed onto the ground as the sand sphere crumbled around him, he watched as Gaara soared through the air before crashing onto the ground. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he saw that Gaara had already completed part of the transformation as his entire upper half of his body was covered in sand, making him look like a miniature Shukaku.


    However, the sand around Gaara''s chest was soft and falling onto the ground as it couldn''t hold its shape.


    "What is this?! This sensation that I''m feeling?" Gaara cried out.


    "It''s pain¡­. Pain!! This is pain!!" Gaara yelled.


    Gaara looked down at his chest before roaring into the air and then rushing to face Naruto.


    Naruto glanced around and then turned and fled as Gaara chased after him.


    Naruto ignored Gaara as he led him into the forest that he had fought Sasuke, Kankuro and Temari in. That should let us fight without worrying about anybody getting hurt because of our battle, Naruto thought as he rushed into the tree line. Gaara still chasing after him with killing intent radiating off of him. Luckily, thanks to Hateshi helping me train in sensing killing intent and because of Sage mode, I know exactly where Gaara is without even looking, Naruto thought to himself as he continued dodging all of Gaara''s attacks with minimal effort as he continued jumping and swinging from tree branch to tree branch.


    Seeing all of his attacks fail only further caused anger to swell within Gaara as he attacked with increasing intensity.


    "What''s wrong Uzumaki Naruto!? Why do you only flee?!" Gaara shouted.


    "Where''s that power you used before to force me into this state!?"


    "Fight to prove our existence to each other!!!" Gaara yelled.


    Naruto finally came upon a clearing in the forests, he landed onto the ground and turned to face Gaara.


    "Sorry, but I only wanted to get you away from anyone that could get hurt from our battle. Now we can fight without getting interrupted." Naruto replied.


    Gaara landed onto a tree branch as he glared at Naruto.


    Naruto took a fighting stance as he held his fists up toward Gaara.


    "You wanted a fight? Then let''s fight!" Naruto called out to Gaara as he rushed to face Gaara.


    Gaara then rushed to face Naruto while Naruto waited for Gaara to get close. Gaara swung his arm as he ran creating multiple sand shurikens that he threw at Naruto. Naruto reached into his pouch and pulled out several kunai that were tied with explosive tags that he threw to counter. As soon as Naruto''s shurikens hit the sand shurikens, they exploded. Then Naruto created two clones and the three of them started weaving hand seals.


    Tiger ¡ú Ox ¡ú Dog ¡ú Rabbit ¡ú Snake


    <<<Sage Art: Massive Great Breakthrough Jutsu>>>


    The three Naruto''s blew an extremely large gust of wind at Gaara. Causing him to get sent flying into the air as Naruto then used his two clones to throw him straight at Gaara. Naruto soared through the air and did a body blow against Gaara. Gaara grabbed hold of Naruto and then swung his arms, swinging Naruto around in the air before sending him flying toward the ground. Naruto crossed his fingers and created several more clones that he grabbed a hold of. He twisted his body, rotating as he threw clone after clone before a clone threw him as well. Gaara knocked away the first clone to the side before the second clone grabbed a hole of Gaara''s leg while the third and fourth grabbed hold of Gaara''s arms. Then the real Naruto arrived his in time to punch Gaara in the face. Then he flipped over and drop kicked Gaara straight down, launching him toward the ground.


    Then he created another clone and threw the clone at Gaara. Clone Naruto then gathered chakra into his hand.


    <Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan>


    Then he thrust his hand down and hit Gaara with the massive spiraling sphere of chakra as he hurled it along with Gaara into the ground, slamming Gaara''s body onto the soil.


    "GUUUAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!" Gaara coughed out blood as his body was pummeled into the ground.


    Suddenly, sand rose up from around Gaara''s body and crushed clone Naruto, making him disperse. Naruto frowned while falling from above as he watched the scene below him.


    "Blood? You''ve made me bleed!!!!" Gaara shouted out as he began thrashing about.


    "I see¡­. I understand now!!! I understand why I so desperately need to battle against you Uzumaki Naruto!!! You''re the first existence capable of injuring me like this!!! Once I kill you, I''ll have proven my existence in a completely new way!!!!" Gaara shouted as he began laughing maniacally.


    I''d almost forgotten how crazy Gaara was during this time, Naruto thought, he really changed into someone completely different in my previous life. Naruto then landed onto the ground as he faced Gaara once again.


    "Let''s do this Uzumaki Naruto!! Let''s fight until one of us dies!!" Gaara shouted as he then looked at Naruto.


    Suddenly, mouths appeared all over Gaara''s sand body and they each began inhaling air rapidly, causing his body to swell in size.


    <Wind Release: Sandstorm Devastation>


    Gaara then spewed out all the air he had inhaled while infusing his chakra within it. Creating a massive sandstorm that flew at Naruto.


    Shit! Naruto thought as he braced himself. He was then blown back and crashed into a tree as he continued bracing himself against the jutsu Gaara used. Small cuts slowly forming all over Naruto''s arms and body. Once the jutsu died down, Gaara gazed at Naruto''s form that was riddled with small cuts.


    "GYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, do you see that mother!! I''m pushing him back!!" Gaara laughed.


    Naruto spit out some sand that had gotten into his mouth as he then started rushing toward Gaara.


    "Don''t go celebrating just yet, these are only scratches!!" Naruto shouted.


    Naruto rushed Gaara and slammed his fist straight into Gaara''s gut. Then he slammed his other fist into Gaara as he retracted his first fist. Naruto continued slamming his fists rapidly onto Gaara''s body as he slowly lifted Gaara''s body up into the air by the force of his blows.


    "UUUUWOOOOAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" Naruto yelled as he continued throwing punches.


    Gaara groaned as he took each blow, then he brought his arm up and swung it down.


    Naruto stopped punching and grabbed hold of Gaara''s arm, then he spun his body and threw Gaara at a tree.


    Crashing into the tree, Gaara grunted in pain again before landing back onto the ground.


    "That''s it! It''s time to end everything!!" Gaara shouted.


    Suddenly, sand exploded outward from Gaara as his body enlarged in size. Naruto quickly retreated as the surroundings were crushed from Gaara''s sudden action.


    When the dust settled, Naruto saw Gaara''s final form as he was completely transformed into Shukaku.


    "You''ve been extremely entertaining Uzumaki Naruto!! Let''s see how you handle this!!" Gaara shouted in his complete Shukaku form.


    <Wind Release: Air Bullet>


    Gaara slammed his hand against his stomach as he fired off a blast of air toward Naruto.


    "Shit!" Naruto cursed as he quickly weaved hand seals.


    Tiger ¡ú Ox ¡ú Dog ¡ú Rabbit ¡ú Snake


    <Sage Art: Massive Great Breakthrough Jutsu>


    Naruto exhaled a large blast of wind, just barely canceling out the air bullet Gaara had fired.


    Looks like it''s finally time for me to summon him! Naruto thought as he bit his finger and began weaving the hand seals.


    Boar ¡ú Dog ¡ú Bird ¡ú Monkey ¡ú Ram


    <Summoning Jutsu>


    Suddenly an explosion of smoke appeared, before shortly revealing Gamabunta as the wind blew the smoke away.


    "Eh!? Brat! Where am I, what''s going on?" Gamabunta shouted.


    "I''m kind of in a bind boss, I could use some help." Naruto replied.


    Gamabunta glanced over and saw the transformed Gaara.


    "Shukaku¡­... huh." Gamabunta said as he recognized Gaara''s form.


    "Looks like you''ve got a knack for getting caught up in troublesome situations!" Gamabunta grinned.


    "Eh? It''s not my fault that these things happen." Naruto retorted.


    "Enough, let''s focus on the task at hand!" Gamabunta yelled.


    Gaara stared at Naruto who had summoned a giant toad and began laughing.


    "You certainly don''t disappoint; this is exactly what I needed!! Killing you will be the greatest feeling ever!!! Uzumaki Naruto!!" Gaara shouted.


    "Get ready, we''re going to jump!" Gamabunta suddenly said as he crouched down onto the ground.


    <Wind Release: Air Bullet>


    Gaara slammed his hand onto his stomach just as Gamabunta jumped straight into the air. Then right as Gamabunta landed onto the ground he jumped forward and slashed his blade toward Gaara. What toughness! Gamabunta thought as his hands shook from the impact, the blade falling out of his grasp before impaling itself into the ground.


    Gaara grunted in pain then he glared at Naruto and Gamabunta.


    "It seems even this isn''t enough to defeat you! Uzumaki Naruto!" Gaara said.


    Then, Gaara''s real body slowly started appearing upon Shukaku''s face until just his upper half was visible.


    "I''ll show you the true strength of the sand spirit fear by the sand village!" Gaara uttered as he brought his hands together.


    <Feigning Sleep Jutsu>


    Shortly after, Gaara fell asleep.


    "This isn''t good. You better prepare yourself; this fight is about to get a whole lot more complicated!" Gamabunta shouted.


    "Yeah, I know." Naruto replied as he remembered the last time.


    Suddenly, the eyes on Shukaku''s face changed color as the real Shukaku finally woke up.


    "GYAHAHAHAHAHA, I''m finally awake!! And look! There''s already someone for me to kill here!!" Shukaku laughed hysterically.


    Just great! Naruto thought, I had hoped I wouldn''t have to go through this all over again, but looks like I don''t have a choice anymore.


    "Let''s do this Gamabunta!" Naruto yelled as he prepared himself.


    "Right!" Gamabunta shouted back as he gazed at Shukaku.

 46 Chapter 46 Colossal Battle!

    Gamabunta jumped to the side as he dodged air bullets one after the other. Shukaku laughed as he continued firing the air bullets at the toad.


    "GYAHAHAHAHA, What''s wrong!? Can all you do is run around!?" Shukaku shrieked.


    "This is tough, even I''m not going to be able to fight against the sand spirit for too long." Gamabunta said as he dodged another air bullet.


    "Yeah, he''s definitely tough, I''m just glad he hasn''t fired off a tailed beast bomb at us yet." Naruto replied as he watched Shukaku from on top of Gamabunta''s head.


    "Can you get us closer? The only way to put Shukaku back to sleep is to wake Gaara up right?" Naruto asked.


    Gamabunta glanced up at Naruto in surprise. "You''re familiar with the Sand Spirit kid?"


    Naruto nodded his head but suddenly opened his eyes wide. "Boss! Look out!"


    In the split second that Gamabunta had glanced up at Naruto, Shukaku had taken that chance and fired an air bullet, hitting Gamabunta straight in the gut.


    Gamabunta flew through the air after getting hit by the air bullet, before crashing into the ground, crushing trees and tearing up the landscape in his wake.


    "GUUUAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!"


    "Boss! Are you alright!?" Naruto shouted in concern as he held onto the toad as they crashed into the ground.


    Gamabunta coughed up some blood as he pushed himself off of the ground.


    "I can still fight, but I won''t be able to take too many more hits like that." Gamabunta replied.


    Naruto grit his teeth as he quickly began thinking of a plan to take down Shukaku. Last time, we did a combination transformation to give Gamabunta fangs and claws in order to grab a hold of Shukaku so I could get close and knock Gaara awake. But things have already changed a lot, so would that attempt still work? Naruto wondered.


    "Oi, kid, I have a plan, while the host is asleep, the Sand Spirit''s power is at it''s strongest, but if we can wake the brat up, then we can lower the Sand Spirit''s power. Only problem is that I can''t get a good hold of the Sand Spirit for you to get close enough to the host." Gamabunta announced, breaking Naruto out of his concentration.


    Naruto looked down at Gamabunta, "Are you sure it will work?" Naruto asked.


    "There''s only one way to find out, but you''ll need to perform the hand seals for the jutsu, I''ll provide the chakra." Gamabunta replied.


    "Alright, guess we''ll go with that!" Naruto said as he brought his hands together.


    "GYAHAHA, DO YOU EXPECT ME TO LET YOU DO WHAT YOU WANT!!??" Shukaku shouted as he slammed his hand onto his stomach.


    <Wind Release: Sand Buckshot>


    A giant shock wave of air with small particles of sand flying along with the blast fired from Shukaku''s mouth aimed directly at Naruto and Gamabunta.


    "Shit!" Gamabunta cursed as he dodged by jumping high into the air.


    <Wind Release: Sand Buckshot>


    <Wind Release: Sand Buckshot>


    <Wind Release: Sand Buckshot>


    Shukaku fired off three massive air shock waves with sand particles flying along with the blasts straight toward Gamabunta who was slowly beginning to fall back toward the ground.


    Gamabunta responded by holding up a hand seal.


    <Water Release: Gunshot>


    <Water Release: Gunshot>


    <Water Release: Gunshot>


    He fired off three giant blasts of water, canceling out the three incoming blasts, canceling each other out, and causing the remaining water to fall down like rain.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    After traveling with Naruto''s clone, Kakashi and the clone had managed to find the spot that Naruto had fought Temari and Kankuro in. When they had arrived, Kakashi noticed an unconscious Kankuro and Sasuke along with Temari who looked defeated and two more clones of Naruto. Suddenly the ground shook and everyone who was conscious looked over toward the source.


    Kakashi and Temari''s eyes widened in shock as the witnessed the colossal battle that was taking place between Gaara who had transformed into Shukaku and Naruto who had summoned Gamabunta.


    Kakashi couldn''t help but see Minato''s form overlapping with Naruto''s as the battle continued on. Sensei¡­. Your son as truly become a splendid shinobi! Kakashi thought as he watched the battle. Then he looked over toward the clone Naruto that had led him here.


    "Naruto, I''m fine now, please go find Sakura and Lee!" Kakashi said.


    Clone Naruto nodded and then vanished, leaving Kakashi alone with the rest of the group.


    Temari noticed Kakashi''s arrival and already knew that Baki had been defeated as well. We were completely outclassed! She thought, especially against that blondie, we never stood a chance against him! She smiled bitterly to herself as she remembered how cocky her and Kankuro had acted toward him when they first met.


    We were complete idiots thinking that the leaf had grown weak due to peace, but look how wrong we were to think that! Temari thought.


    Kakashi looked toward Sasuke and wondered how he had been knocked unconscious. He couldn''t have been defeated by the sand genin, could he? Kakashi wondered.


    "Naruto, what happened to Sasuke?" Kakashi asked.


    Clone Naruto was quiet for a moment before he replied. "Kakashi-sensei, I knocked him out."


    "What? Why?" Kakashi said bewildered as his eyes widened.


    "Because he challenged me to a fight before the Sand Shinobi attacked us, and then he came at me with the intent to kill, so I had to get a little serious to stop him. That''s when the Sand Shinobi attacked us." Clone Naruto answered.


    Kakashi was quiet for a moment as he took in the new information.


    "I see¡­." Kakashi wondered where he''d gone wrong when teaching Sasuke, he wondered if there could have been some way to avoid it.


    He was thankful that Naruto was able to handle the situation without anyone getting seriously hurt however. Suddenly the group felt another shock wave, followed shortly by a hard downpour of rain.


    The sudden downpour caused Kakashi and Temari to look up in shock.


    "What a battle! Their attacks are changing the landscape and changing the weather!" Temari gasped out in shock.


    Kakashi was silent but he still agreed with her, the scale of the fight was truly astonishing. The closest thing he could compare this to was when the Nine-Tails attacked the village all those years ago.


    Naruto¡­. Please be safe! Kakashi thought to himself as he watched the battle intently.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    After canceling out the blasts Gamabunta landed onto the ground while Shukaku grinned at the duo.


    "GYAHA, THIS IS SO FUN, PLAY WITH ME SOME MORE!!!" Shukaku laughed.


    "Brat, we can''t drag this fight on forever! The Sand Spirit has more chakra than me! A battle of attrition just wont work!" Gamabunta warned.


    "I know, but I have an idea!" Naruto said.


    Gamabunta glanced up toward Naruto as soon as he heard his words.


    "Well don''t keep it all to yourself, what''s the plan?" Gamabunta asked.


    "Can you distract him for a minute? I need some time to charge a jutsu!" Naruto asked.


    "Eh?" Gamabunta uttered as he narrowed his eyes toward Naruto.


    However, seeing the confident look on Naruto''s face caused him to smirk.


    "Alright! If you need a minute, I''ll give you the time you need!" Gamabunta shouted raising his fighting spirit.


    "Let''s go brat!"


    "Right!" Naruto shouted back as he jumped off of Gamabunta and landed on a tree. He summoned a clone and held out his hand as he focused on gathering chakra.


    As soon as Naruto jumped off, Gamabunta launched himself forward toward the blade he had dropped earlier.


    "Come on!!" Gamabunta shouted.


    He held up his hands as he flew toward the air, creating the tiger hand seal.


    <Water Release: Gunshot>


    <Water Release: Gunshot>


    Gamabunta fired off two blasts of water before releasing his hand seal and grabbing the hilt of his blade.


    Shukaku grinned as he slammed his fist onto his stomach.


    <Wind Release: Air Bullet>


    <Wind Release: Air Bullet>


    Shukaku fired off two blasts of air to cancel out the giant water bullets, creating a wall of water in front of him that covered his vision. Suddenly, Gamabunta flew through the wall of water and slashed his sword toward Shukaku from overhead. Shukaku raised his arm above his head and blocked the blade, causing it to cut half way through before stopping. Gamabunta narrowed his eyes and kicked his legs against Shukaku''s stomach, launching himself into the air.


    "GYAHAHAHA, THAT TICKLED!!" Shukaku responded, after receiving Gamabunta''s blow.


    "ARE YOU EVEN TRYING?!" Shukaku asked as he raised his arm.


    Then he rushed toward Gamabunta and threw a punch, hitting the toad straight back, causing him to crash into the forest creating another deep scar in the earth.


    "GYAHAHA, HOW WAS THAT!?" Shukaku laughed.


    *Cough, cough* Gamabunta spat out blood from his mouth before wiping the remaining blood off with his arm.


    "Is that all ya got!?" Gamabunta shouted in response.


    Shukaku frowned toward Gamabunta.


    "HMPH!! YOU"RE NO FUN ANYMORE, IT''S TIME FOR YOU TO DIE!!!!" Shukaku shouted.


    Then he opened his mouth and began gathering chakra, forming a large sphere of chakra.


    Gamabunta narrowed his eyes, this isn''t good! He thought as he sensed the density and massive amounts of chakra being gathered into that sphere.


    "Boss! Get out of the way!" Naruto shouted.


    Gamabunta looked over toward the sound of Naruto''s voice, his eyes widening at what he saw.


    Naruto was standing at the top of the tallest tree and in the palm of his hand was a massive spiraling ball of chakra with blades that looked like shurikens spinning around the middle of the sphere.


    "Move aside boss!" Naruto shouted as he jumped into the air, using his clone as a boost.


    Gamabunta acted in the next split second and quickly jumped out of Naruto''s way.


    <Sage Art: Massive Rasenshuriken Jutsu>


    Naruto swung his arm and threw the giant spinning bladed sphere of chakra toward Shukaku who also fired off the tailed beast bomb at the same time as Naruto threw his jutsu.


    The two jutsus flew through the air toward one another until finally they clashed against one another. Everyone''s eyes fixated on the point of impact, waiting to see what happens.